E3 2012: Darksiders II hands-on

Death is a bad ass. Sure War was a bad ass as well, but this is a new kind of bad ass. A much more nimble bad ass that relies on quick attacks and dodges. But this wasn't the highlight of what was shown off during our Darksiders II hands-on. Oh no, it wasn't the fact that we got to take on a War doppelganger. It was loot. Yes! Loot!

During our demo, we got to play the very beginning of Darksiders II, which eased us into the story, that will run parallel to the first Darksiders, and War's journey of redemption. Death believes his brother is innocent, but rather than taking the higher road, Death goes through any measures possible to exonerate his brother.

But the loot! Yes, you'll battle tons of enemies as Death with his quick and nimble dual scythes that can connect at will, but the best part is that you'll be picking up tons of loot. From gloves, bracers, chest pieces and even weapons, you'll be picking up and equipping pieces of loot that also change Death's appearance. For those that love loot, this newly revealed feature is amazing.

The game's interface easily lets you compare what you're currently wearing with what's lying on the floor. The stats that are better will either shine green if they're better, red if they're worse, or white if they're the same. This system keeps you in the game, without needing to go into your inventory to check whether the gloves you just picked up provide more protection than the ones you're rocking at the moment.

You're even able to pick up various weaponry that will then be assigned as your Y or Triangle button, letting you unleash very stylish combos. There are also various weapon classes ranging from extremely slow but powerful hammers and axes, or fast but weaker weapons like daggers.

We did inquire about the game's length and were assured that the regular game will feature about 20-25 hours worth of gameplay just for the story alone, but nearly double that amount if you're a completionist.

We were also told that the game's environment is way more expansive than in Darksiders, which means you'll have even more to explore this time around.

We loved what we saw today, and even though it was just the beginning sequence to the game, it was as action packed as ever, and we cannot wait to get our hands on Death's adventure later this year.

E3 2012: Dead Space 3 preview

EA’s Visceral Games is at it again with Dead Space 3.  I had the privilege to watch the demo today at E3.  In the third game of the series they are promising it will have more enemies, more weapons, and more bosses.  We can also expect to see Isaac in deep space and planet side.  The devs also assured us that this installment of Dead Space will answer fan questions about the nature of the necromorphs and the marker.

The demo started with Isaac hanging upside down after crash landing on an icy planet.  Our hero is instantly back into action fighting both necromorphs and a brand new enemy – humans.  Unitology soldiers have taken up arms to try to stop Isaac.  Fighting against humans means new types of gameplay elements for Dead Space players.  From what I saw, there will be cover, rolling, and new and improved AI.  If you’re asking yourself if Isaac will be able to use his kinetic powers to throw back grenades at enemies, you better believe he can.  The disturbing part about all this is that if the necromorphs take over a gun wielding enemy… you got yourself a sloppy gun wielding necromorph on your hands.   

Dead Space 3 will also come with a co-op function.  Not only that, but co-op works as a drop in/ drop out as well.  This wasn’t working during the demonstration, but I did see that the invite option is right in the menu during game play.  The other player takes the role of John Carver.  When playing single player, you don’t have to worry about that NPC tagging along though – DP3 will keep the single player gameplay the same as people who love the series know and love.

As someone who has loved the past Dead Space games, I have to say the graphics and the little story I’ve seen looks exciting.  The action is intense, the human combat is unlike other third person shooters, the AI is exciting, there are plenty of interactive cut scenes, and the game is chalk full of bosses. 

My concern form the demo, is that the game might be taking on too much of an action role however.  While action isn’t bad, Dead Space has thrived as a horror game.  Necromorphs will continue to jump out, be large, disgusting, and terrifying, but I can see that fighting Unitology soldiers and the constant action take away the horror and overall environment of the game.  I have tons of hope for Dead Space 3, I just don’t want to see the series getting away from its roots.

E3 2012: End of Nations preview

With over three years of development, Trion has been working diligently on End of Nations.  This free to play game will bridge the Real Time Strategy genre with the MMO genre.  While keeping elements from classic RTS game modes, such as 1v1’s, 2v2’s, and so on… End of Nations can have up to 56 players in one match – 28v28.  When not playing against players, you can play vs AI and cooperatively with friends as well. This game wants to bring massive scale combat to your PC.

End of Nations will run on persistent servers.  You’ll be able to log in and out whenever and hop right back into what you were doing.  Currently there are two playable factions with plans to introduce many more in the future.  One faction is known as the Liberation Front.  This faction reminds me of the Command and Conquer’s GDI faction.  They have the big tanks and the big weapons.  The other faction, the Shadow Revolution, user the faster, stealth, hit and run tactics; similar to the NOD.  These two factions fight each other and the common enemy known as the Order of Nations.

The MMO aspect of the game comes in with your commanders.  These hero type troops have special abilities, unique combat vehicles, and gain experience.  This experience allows them to gain levels which allow them to put points in talent trees.  These trees allow more offensive game play, more defensive game play, and even allow you to take a more supportive role.  While you can have multiple commanders, only one can be on the battlefield at a time.

When you start, you will have a few premade companies to choose though but you can also create and customize your own.  When I say customize I do mean customize.  You can pick what commander to use, what units are in your company, the paint job of your units (bacon is an option), what support buildings you can have, and what abilities your commander can use.  Once you get more familiar, you can really make your companies exactly how you want them.

The gameplay works like an RTS without building management.  There are buildings that preexist which can be upgraded to allow better troops to constantly join the battlefield, but you don’t manage them.  In the game mode that was demoed to me, the player had to take two victory points to lower the enemy’s shield around their base and then crush them.  Say you win but three of your units get destroyed, after the battle they come back.  If you lose and all your units are destroyed, you get them all back at the end.  There are more rewards in winning than losing of course, but the game is very forgiving for losing with no major penalties. 

On the server you’re on, there is a meta game where your faction is battling the other for world dominance.  Every few weeks or months, one faction will win then reset.  There are rewards to all of those who participate; more to the winners.  The game has a few non-conventional RTS modes, such as capture the flag.  The devs are going to watch which games work and which are more popular to see where they should put their future time.  In End of Nations, the community will have a lot of sway.

As I said previously, this game will take on the free to play model and include micro-transactions.  Before you cringe, real money can never give you an advantage over your opponent.  The only aspects of the game that be bought with real money that can’t be bought with in game money are cosmetic things; the developers don’t won’t those dishing out money into the game to run around invincible.  On a personal note, I went from knowing nothing about this game to being highly excited for it.  I won’t have too much longer to wait.  I definitely recommend checking this game out, it’s free after all.

Wii U GamePad weighs ‘about one pound’

Heading into E3, there were a lot of questions surrounding Nintendo’s Wii U console and their tablet controller, now officially named “Wii U GamePad”.

Earlier in the week, Nintendo revealed the GamePad’s features and functionality which includes a touch screen, NFC  reader/writer, a TV control button, and much more. What we really wanted to know, however, couldn’t be answered watching the Nintendo press briefing.

How much does this giant Wii U GamePad weight and how does it feel in your hands?  After getting some hands-on time with it at Nintendo’s E3 booth, I am happy to report that the Wii U GamePad is incredibly light.  In fact, according to a Nintendo representative, it weighs “about one pound”.

I know it’s easy to hear “one pound” and think that’s heavy, but it’s actually really light and, despite its rectangular shape, quite comfortable in your hands.  The buttons aren’t awkward to press and the back of the GamePad is shaped to rest comfortably in your hands (well, mine at least).  Others, of course, may disagree, but I find the Wii U GamePad to be surprisingly lightweight and comfortable.

Sony aiming to sell 10 million PlayStation Vitas

Despite the current sales of the PlayStation Vita, Sony plans on selling 10 million units by March of 2013 says SCE CEO Andrew House in an interview with Rueters at E3.“The end-of-year holiday season is extremely important for handheld game consoles,” said House explaining how they would reach the sale of 10 million units.
The top titles being released for the PS Vita are Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation and Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified. As for any other titles that Sony is banking on to get them to 10 million by the end of the year fiscal year, we haven't really seen much. The E3 press conference spent little time on the Vita, focusing more on the PlayStation 3 titles like Beyond: Two Souls and The Last of Us. Although, House did say that they were going to 'strengthen' the online services of the Vita by adding Youtube and Hulu apps. In conjunction with the Holiday sales Sony believes that the release of the new white PS Vita model will help raise the sales.

Unfortunately, when asked about the next generation of the PlayStation House wouldn't budge.

Mistborn Saga Prequel RPG Announced For 2013

March 26, 2012 – Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Little Orbit revealed today that they will be bringing bestselling author Brandon Sanderson's epic fantasy series Mistborn to games late next year for PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Windows PC and Mac.

Mistborn is set in a dark world of ash, mist, and gothic fantasy creatures, dominated by a seemingly immortal villain known as the Lord Ruler. It also follows individuals who use a powerful rule-based magic system known as Allomancy that allows them to temporarily enhance their physical and mental abilities by ingesting and "burning" flakes of metal. Those who have the ability to burn a single metal are called Mistings, and those who can burn all metals are known as Mistborn.

The upcoming RPG video game titled Mistborn: Birthright will feature an original storyline created by Sanderson, set several hundreds of years before the first Mistborn novel, and will focus on a unique combat system that puts Allomancy into the hands of gamers. Players will suit up as Fendin "Fiddle" Fathvell, an arrogant young nobleman who must quickly master his newfound Allomantic abilities before forces at work can destroy his entire family.

"I'm a huge fan of the series, and I cannot wait to get this into the hands of gamers," said Matthew Scott, CEO of Little Orbit.  "Between the distinctive magic system, the story twists Brandon has planned for the game, and the rich depth of character skills, we're creating something very unique for players to enjoy."

Sanderson is no stranger to video games. He recently completed story development on the Infinity Blade II video game including the accompanying Infinity Blade: Awakening novella. In between writing his popular Mistborn and Stormlight novels, he is also finishing work on the final novel in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Sanderson has been labeled "one of the most popular new fantasy writers to emerge in the last ten years".

"As an avid gamer, I'm extremely excited by this opportunity," said Sanderson. "The chance to write the story for a Mistborn game while working with a team of talented developers is, quite literally, living a dream."

Official Website:

http://www.mistborngame.com

Join us:

http://www.facebook.com/mistborngame

About Little Orbit

Little Orbit is a worldwide video game publisher formed in January 2010 with a focus on licensed-based entertainment products. The company's emphasis is on working with popular creators to extend their vision into games through transmedia storytelling and engaging content for all gaming platforms. Little Orbit has a unique history assisting major entertainment companies to leverage their brands through emerging game channels to help grow and engage consumers. Founded by industry veterans and key development, sales and marketing personnel, Little Orbit is focused on three primary channels of distribution including traditional game retail, non-traditional retail channels, and digital download over the various platform networks. www.littleorbit.com  

About Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson is the co-author with Robert Jordan of the #1 NY Times bestselling Wheel of Time novels The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight, and a top 10 NY Times and international bestselling author for his novels The Way of Kings and Mistborn: The Alloy of Law, all published by Tor Books in the US.  An award-winning author, he is published in 25 languages, with global sales in the millions of copies.  His Mistborn saga has become a multi-faceted brand, with a film in development from Paloppa Pictures, and a classic tabletop RPG released by Crafty Games in 2011.   www.brandonsanderson.com

"Mistborn" is a trademark of Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC, and all characters and elements are copyright © Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC.

The Wheel of Time books and franchise are © Robert Jordan. The phrases "The Wheel of Time™" and "The Dragon Reborn™" and the snake-wheel symbol, are trademarks of Robert Jordan.

"Infinity Blade" and "Infinity Blade II" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere.

"PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox LIVE are either registered trademarks or trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies in the United States and/or other countries.

Jane’s Advanced Strike Fighters; Flying Has Never Been So Dull

Flying jet fighters has to be one of the coolest jobs around, as a kid I wanted to be a jet pilot (for a while anyway) never quite attained that until now! JANE'S ADVANCED STRIKE FIGHTERS or J.A.S.F., the latest release from EVOLVED GAMES and TRICKSTAR GAMES, has helped me fulfill that dream. I now get the chance to bomb around the sky at ridiculous speed, blowing stuff up in a variety of expensive jet fighters with only 20 minutes training, how cool is that?

This is a flight simulation game which is aimed more at gamers than serious flight sim enthusiasts. MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR this isn't, but I do recommend getting a flightstick or joystick to use as this adds much more realism and interactivity to the game.

J.A.S.F. takes place in the fictional country of AZBARISTAN and you are stuck in the middle of a civil war. You are squadron leader RAZOR and it is your job to take on the rebels to reunify Azbaristan and protect the west's interests, very topical at the moment. With 16 missions to complete and 30 aircraft to choose from you're all set for some rip roaring excitement… or are you? To be honest it wasn't what I expected, you basically spend all the campaign bombing various targets with what seems to be an endless supply of weapons, whilst trying to avoid being shot down. The scenery is mainly low rez landscapes that occasionally disappear or freeze entirely, sometimes when you are just about to complete a mission, requiring a complete reboot.

I know J.A.S.F. was originally a PC game, but it still feels a little dated and lacking any kind of excitement. Even the voice over actors seem bored. To be honest if your purpose is to reunite the country and protect the west's oil interests, why bomb the oil refineries? There's plenty of information on each jet, which is fine, if you are 8 years old. The problem with J.A.S.F. is I don't think it knows whether it is a flight simulator or a game.

"Will it redeem itself on the multi-play on line element of the game?" I hear you ask. The answer is, I am afraid not. In fact the game offers 16 player on-line matches. Unfortunately I couldn't find 2 people to play on-line, never mind 16!

The problem I have found with this genre of game is there aren't many out there. Either it's down to lack of popularity or the game developers would rather spend money on FPS and RPG gaming. A pity really. J.A.S.F. is certainly not the best flight simulator I have played, that's for sure. Unfortunately it is the only one out there at the moment that is set in the present day.

Summary

The problem is folks, I can't really say much more on this game as it really speaks for itself. The content, gameplay and graphics aren't up to much. I can see the potential, just need a bit more (well a lot more to be honest) excitement, dog fighting and perhaps more enthusiasm from the voice over actors would be nice.

Kingdoms Of Amalur – Watch out Skyrim, There’s A Reckoning Coming!

Fantasy role playing games are very popular at the moment with the likes of LORD OF THE RINGS and recently released SKYRIM. It looks like we can't get enough of fairies, Goblins, over developed men and women, waving swords about and being all profound and humourless (there's no place for comedy in the fantasy world).

Right then… you have finished SKYRIM, been bored to death with LOTR, what next on the fantasy agenda? EA, 38 STUDIOS and BIG HUGE GAMES have come up with the answer and surprisingly enough for someone who isn't a massive fan of this genre, I am indeed impressed by KINGDOMS OF AMALUR: RECKONING. Fair enough it does remind me of LORD OF THE RINGS: WAR IN THE NORTH with a chunk of GOD OF WAR thrown in. It is a very similar setup, lots of roaming around, and taking on quests whilst collecting stuff, the menu's and controls are also very close to LOTR and GOW. That is where the similarity ends fortunately, the gameplay, characters and story are far superior.

The thing that always bores me about these kind of games, is the roaming about element. I just want to get there and get stuck in, not wander about stopping to small talk with some daft looking Goblin or Fairy. All that aside, when the action kicks in it is worth all the trouble of getting there. I thought the fight dynamics where excellent and very responsive, simple but imaginative.

OK then I could bang on for the next ten paragraphs about the storyline for this game, but I will do us all a favour and just give you a quick outline. KINGDOMS OF AMALUR follows a character known as the "Fateless One" (not the most optimistic of names). Now he died before the game started, but is revived by some crazy Gnome scientist. You then escape from the evil Gnome's clutches, but suffering from memory loss you begin a quest to discover who you are and how you died. The story is very deep and develops as you progress through the game, with plenty of interactivity giving you multiple choice answers and questions to choose from. This is a massive game there are so many different things to do within it, and it just goes on and on (bit like me sometimes).

Now the gameplay is the usual RPG set up, there are five distinct regions within the game and 4 different types of characters, with the usual tongue twisting names, the ALMAIN (basically humans), DOKKALFAR ( Dark Elves), LJOSALFAR (Light Elves) and finally the VARANI (Nomadic humans). You start off as a basic character which you can customize as you go along and eventually choose a class to belong to from the 3 available. These are known as the MIGHT, the FINESSE and the SORCERY( are you with me so far?) The Skill tree system allows the player to unlock a variety of "destinies."

So now we get to the fighting abilities. Control is very simple and works on the principle of timing your button hits to initiate moves. There are plenty of special moves like the "fateshift", which allows you to finish off an opponent in a particular and brutal manner. Then of course there is the "Reckoning Mode" which is a good old Berserker move that allows rapid dispatch of a number of opponents.

Summary

KINGDOMS OF AMALUR: RECKONING is a great little RPG game and a nice introduction to the fantasy genre, if you have always wanted to get into this kind of stuff, then this is a good starting point, with plenty of action, easy enough controls, nice graphics and with the introduction of some nice DLC over the next few months this promises to be one of the big games of 2012. I will give it 9 out of 10.

The Splatters-It Really Does Make A Splash

There are plenty of Physic engine puzzle games on XBLA® at the moment ,some good some not so good , THE SPLATTERS developed by SPIKY SNAIL is one of the former, it’s a new take on the genre and quite refreshing to see something different .

THE SPLATTERS are little fluid type creatures, and your goal is to shoot their liquid filled bodies at bombs placed around the stage, a simple task you may think, well we all know that isn`t going to be the case don`t we. There are many ways to do this including throwing them onto spikes or even changing direction to get to the more difficult bombs.

There are many obstacles to overcome in this game and you will have to put on your thinking cap as well, to start with game play is relatively easy and you are slowly lured into the game, with little tips like pressing the Y button, which will show you how to complete the level if you can`t figure it out, this is a nice touch, then just as you are getting used to it, on the next section you have more complicated levels and no help.

OK so there are loads of these kinds of games around, and this is a mixture of PUDDLE, LEMMINGS and half a dozen other games we have had over the years, even the voices reminds me of WORMS, therefore originality is not what this is about, even if the developers like to have us believe, in fact this is all about having fun, and as I have just spent my entire weekend hooked on this game I can guarantee fun is indeed what you will have (including a few moments of frustration).

There is the usual format within THE SPLATTERS, the better the stunts the higher your score, and attaining 3 stars on a regular basis is not particularly hard after a while, with the use of stunt combos you can create liquid blasting mayhem .

The three sections within the game offer a variety of skill, and what seems like endless levels certainly keep you occupied that’s for sure, using the left trigger helps you flip momentum so you can launch at those difficult areas, this is a handy little move and does take a while to master, it’s a bit like a time reversal kind of thing.

The controls are pretty straight forward, and can be mastered in no time, but what makes this game interesting  is that you really cannot be complacent when playing, as it isn`t very forgiving, there will be moments when you want to throw the controller because it just doesn`t look possible to complete, but the addictiveness of the game keeps drawing you back to have “just one more go”

SPLATTER TV is the spectator/sharing element of the game which is a sort of leader board with knobs on, enabling you to see how other players completed difficult sections and sharing scores.

Summary

THE SPLATTERS is a visually pleasing game with a certain amount of originality to make it interesting, the game play is fluid and apart from a few minor control issues makes for a fun few hours of gaming, with plenty of levels and challenges to keep you wanting more, I think the addition of SPLATTER TV will be popular with the XBOXLIVE® community.

Silent Hill Downpour-It`s A Bit Of A Washout

You know the old saying “it never rains but it pours” well here’s another one, “I don`t want to rain on your parade” because KONAMI I am about to do just that.

SILENT HILL DOWNPOUR developed by VATRA games is the eighth instalment of the SILENT HILL series, and most definitely the worst.

If you have played the other SILENT HILL games, then you know what a scary and innovative series it is, with a great atmosphere and some classic jumpy moments, and it introduced us to some of the most twisted and imaginative creatures to ever grace our screens, with a brilliant soundtrack by AKIRA YAMAOKA , it certainly has become a legend in its own lunch time, so what does KONAMI do? They throw everything out the window and start again!!!

SILENT HILL DOWNPOUR centres around a single character called MURPHY an escaped criminal (for a change he actually is guilty of his crimes for a change)

Here is the story in a nutshell, MURPHY is being transported to another prison after instigating a riot, when the bus crashes, he wakes up near to SILENT HILL and that’s when the story begins, as there is no option to skip the cut scenes, you will have no choice but to follow the story, which is overly complex for such a game and doesn`t make much sense at times.

Right so moving on, we get to the actual game play, SILENT HILL DOWNPOUR is a single player “survival horror” game with a few puzzles thrown in for good measure.

MURPHY moves from scene to scene picking up clues and beating up zombies , with a variety of objects ( the axe is the best one)there is no point in using the gun (if you can find one) as ammo is limited, and accuracy and effectiveness is mediocre, I found it easier (and more satisfying) to beat the demons to death.

Ok so this game isn`t all bad, there are moments of inspiration that occasionally shine through, but not enough to drag me into the game in an engaging way, the music by composer DANIEL LICHT is one of the better things about SILENT HILL DOWNPOUR, and it does help with the atmosphere, unfortunately it isn`t enough to make this a classic SILENT HILL production.

The controls aren`t the best I have seen, especially the fighting moves, which are pretty basic and repetitive, movement can be annoying as well with a number of glitches which slowed game play occasionally, there are moments when you are given choices as to whether to help a certain character or let them die (you can even choose to goad them) but to be honest no matter what choice you make, it still ends up the same way.

There is a puzzle element, which has been carried on from the SILENT HILL series, but this can be annoying at times because if you miss the combination /answer, then you have to either consult a walkthrough for the answer, or restart the level to find the clue you need.

As for the demons, well they are a bit thin on the ground, and not hard to dispatch (with a trusty axe) and there isn`t much of a feeling of apprehension and fear like the previous SILENT HILL games, some of the demons and scenes in those are genuinely scary, this game just felt lacking, OK it’s a new direction for the series , with VATRA games taking over the reins and attempting to inject something new into the genre, and it is very polished and well put together ,apart from the terrible control system and lack of action, it just doesn`t feel like a SILENT HILL game.

Summary
I am afraid SILENT HILL DOWNPOUR doesn`t blow my skirt up a great deal, which is a pity, because it has so much potential and good ideas, but they have been wasted on erratic controls and lack of atmosphere, this game could have been so much more and yet it let its self-down.

Battleship- A Game, Based On A Movie, Based On A Game?

 

There are plenty of games on the market that are based on either a board game, or a movie, this is the first time I have come across a game, that is based on a movie, that is based on a board game.

Yes folks I refer of course to BATTLESHIP by ACTIVISION, HASBRO and DOUBLE HELIX GAMES (Xbox/ps3), MAGIC POCKETS (Wii/3DS/DS) a first person shooter (FPS) with a bit of a twist.

I personally haven`t seen the film BATTLESHIP, so I can`t compare this game with it, mind you it is really a basic FPS with a very vague reference to the board game,(apparently there are copyright issues with the makers of the board game) according to the press release it is actually the same story as the movie ,but not tied into the movie storyline, so you won`t be able to meet  RIHANNA and talk about umbrella`s.

BATTLESHIP itself is a straight forward FPS (First Person Shooter) with the added option of controlling your fleet of battleships, and submarines (just like in the original game)

You’re a bad/mean marine type on a training exercise in the Hawaiian Islands, when the aliens invade, and of course these guys aren`t like E.T., oh no folks, this lot are out to kick some human bottoms, and it’s your job to stop them.

If ACTIVISION is involved in this then we know that they have a long pedigree in creating some excellent FPS games, this unfortunately is not the greatest, but it isn`t half bad.

You play the character COLE MATHIS an explosives expert and your mission is to infiltrate and destroy the enemy radar, and whatever else comes along, whilst fighting the aliens  on the ground, and (this is a reference to the board game) control your ships via a tactical control pad, that allows you to move your fleet around, attacking the enemy, or back up your ground troops, this feature is the more interesting part of the game, mainly because you get to equip your ships (if you collect the wildcards from dead enemies) with better armour and weapons, you even have 20 seconds of ship control where you get to bomb the enemy into oblivion, with the added bonus of being able to see your organised sea battles in real time from the ground.

The FPS gameplay isn`t too bad actually, on a par with the likes of SYNDICATE, and I did enjoy storming the enemy and engaging in pitched battles, whilst trying to organise my fleet and stop them from being wiped out.

This is what I do like about BATTLESHIP is it`s not just an FPS it also involves strategy, and a certain level of planning, as you approach each level, the aliens themselves aren`t that easy to kill and require a few shots to take them out (unless your close up and personal with a shotgun or an alien rail gun).

The bad guys are backed up by some nasty equipment like Shredders, which are rolling mines that creep up on you and explode; the best thing to do is run for it! There is an array of different types of alien, which are generally a lot harder to dispatch, which makes for a challenging experience.

The one thing I can positively say about BATTLESHIP is it isn`t boring , because you just don`t have time to be, you’re constantly being bombarded with instructions from HQ, and you have to keep checking your fleet, and helping out your squad on the ground.

Weapons are OK, you have the standard army issue semi-automatic rifle and there are plenty of ammo and you can pick up and use a variety of different alien weapons (not as many as I would have liked) the shotgun is the best up close and personal piece of kit, with the alien rail gun coming in a close second for those “lawnmower” moments, and you have the added luxury of naval back up, including bombardments and missile strikes that can be accessed from your D-pad.

There are 7 missions to complete and this takes around 6 hours, with different difficulty settings it can take longer if you like a real challenge , unfortunately there is no on line multiplayer with this game, which is unusual these days ,instead the developers have opted for a more full on campaign instead .

Summary

Personally I like BATTLESHIP it’s a fun, action packed rollercoaster of a game, OK it`s probably not the best out there, but it’s still worth checking out, the battleship element is a unique idea, and with the FPS action makes for an entertaining 6 hours, it would have been nice to have some on line play, maybe a co-op or some kind of multiplayer element, all in all a great effort form HASBRO, ACTIVISION and DOUBLE HELIX.

Trials Evolution-Buckle Up People, This Is One Hell Of A Ride!

Have you ever had the desire to ride a trial bike across a war zone with bombs exploding al around you? Yes? Well now’s your chance, TRIALS EVOLUTION on XBLA by UBISOFT and REDLYNX does just that, with knobs on.

The original TRIALS HD that came out in 2009 was a massive hit, and is one of the biggest selling games on XBLA, so TRIALS EVOLUTION is really going to have to shine, if it wants to do better than its predecessor and guess what? It does big time!

On release this game has made over a million pounds in 24 hours, and I can see why, this has all the hallmarks of a classic game, and it will be up there for arcade game of the year again, I am sure.

TRIALS EVOLUTION is a motorcycle stunt game that is like no other, the physics engine used by the developers creates a feeling of realism, that can be frustrating at times, but exhilarating and very challenging.

The objective is to complete the course in the best time, with few faults, which sounds straight forward enough, until you start playing it, and play it you will! The thing I did find annoying, and I am sure I am not the only one, is that it gets so damned difficult, this could result in many gamers  (unless you are real hard core) just knocking it on the head , after trying for the 80^th time to complete a course.

Mind you this does not take away the enjoyment I experienced with this XBLA release (for a while anyway) you race through the levels unlocking more bikes, and earning money, to buy what I can only describe as limited customisation items for your rider, this element of TRIALS EVOLUTION is the least thought through, and there should have been more variety,  there are a number of “license tests” as you proceed, which basically instructs you how to initiate new moves, preparing you for the next (even more difficult) level.

Gaining access to these next levels requires you to earn a certain amount of bronze, silver and gold medals, which means going back to previous levels to attain a better score.

The levels are so much fun to play and visually stunning with either warzones ,wooded areas, sewers and many other visually entertaining  2D/3D environments, it isn`t a chore to have to go back to them as long as it doesn`t go on forever.

TRIALS EVOLUTION is very addictive and can lead to many hours of console time being used, so be warned, the great thing is it isn`t hard to get the hang of it, the controls are very straight forward and simple, the objectives are clear, all you have to do is complete the course without falling off and in good time.

The soundtrack is “rocking`” and OK for a while, I did tire of it before long though, and turned it off and put on my own music.

The multiplayer element enables on-line and local play with up to 4 players which are all on a single screen making for more chaos.

The addition of a level building tool is a brilliant idea, being able to build your own course and allow other riders to try and beat it is going to make this game even more popular on –line.

 

Summary

TRIALS EVOLUTION is by far the best game to come out on XBLA this year, and is well worth the 1200 Microsoft points, this game shows that you don`t need to spend millions on a massive blockbuster, all you need is a great idea, and some imaginative developing,

Fable Heroes-Hack And Slash Puppet Style

Strange to think that such a diverse game like FABLE should have an off shoot like FABLE HEROES and yet here it is, created by LIONHEAD studios, on what they refer to as their CREATIVE day  an annual event, allowing members of staff to showcase an idea, and this is the result.

FABLE HEROES available on XBOX LIVE®, is a basic hack and slash co-op game involving up to 4 players, on-line and locally, set within the FABLE universe, and that is it really.

The objective of the game is to hack and slash your way through each level with your 3 buddies who are the FABLE HERO dolls (who are dressed as FABLE characters) and collect as many gold coins as possible, you then reach a fork in the road at the end, and you can choose either a boss battle, or a mini game.

After defeating the boss, or mini game, your gold count is totted up, and each player is awarded accordingly, usually with a place on the podium, unless you come last of course, then it’s the bowed head of shame, with the obligatory trombone noise.

OK, so you have all this gold burning a hole in your puppet pocket, what do you do with it? Buy upgrades of course! This process I found to be a little tedious, you have to throw a dice and then choose what upgrade you want from that square (each character has 39 upgrades) which is a fine and dandy to start with, but as you progress you find it takes ages to land on the right square, to get the upgrade you are missing, these can be, additional power, or weapons, weapon upgrades and even movement and attack enhancements.

So what do you do when you’ve upgraded to the max and you still have loads of gold left? Well you can donate it to your fellow players, so they can upgrade quicker, or keep it and transfer it over to FABLE: THE JOURNEY (which launches soon)

To be honest the game is so easy you don`t really need all these upgrades, defeating packs of HOBBES, BEETLES, and other assorted baddies isn`t the hardest thing to do, and you are given the opportunity to gain temporary upgrades at the beginning of each battle , by pressing button A next to a treasure chest, resulting in a variety of different changes, there is of course a moral choice as well during the game, when you occasionally come across “good and evil” chests giving you the opportunity to bestow a temporary power on one of your buddies ,or inflict a curse which that player can transfer to another on contact, or suffer the consequences.

Gameplay is pretty straight forward, as are the controls, the one thing that puzzles me is what age group are they aiming at here? I mean the look of the game is childlike, yet the content is very violent.

The whole point of FABLE HEROES is co-operation, this is a multi-player game and should be seen as that, it’s definitely not  a single player that’s for sure, and it can be fun to play, the graphics are bright and cheerful and the controls simple and undemanding.

FABLE fans will love the attention to detail as you get to visit some of the more well-known places from the original FABLE series.

Summary
FABLE HEROES is a no nonsense, straight forward co-op game that’s easy to play and has its moments of irritation, it is more for fans of the FABLE UNIVERSE to be honest, and I can`t imagine many non-FABLE fans showing an interest, I still think it is somewhat confusing as to which age group it is aimed at, but at least there is no bad language in this so it must be aimed at kids!

Prototype 2- The Flesh Swiss Army Knife Returns

Here we go again folks with yet another “must have” (or so the hype tells us) game of the year, PROTOTYPE 2 by ACTIVISION and RADICAL ENTERTAINMENT and it is back to the good old days of excessive mindless violence, what a treat!

If you played the first one back in 2009, then you will pretty much be aware as to what is to come, if you haven`t  then don`t worry, the story is pretty irrelevant, and you won`t have missed anything , for the non-PROTOTYPE fans out there this game reminds me in many ways of the old INCREDIBLE HULK ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION games ,with the running up skyscrapers and leaping over buildings ,picking up vehicles and tossing them like toys , let’s face it our hero JAMES HELLER is pretty indestructible, and lacking in personality and humour, which makes this game more good than great.

PROTOTYPE 2 is a story of revenge, JAMES HELLER is out to get ALEX MERCER for killing his family with the outbreak of the BLACKLIGHT virus, but frankly do we care? After all the JAMES HELLER character is so one dimensional, I don`t see the point of having any storyline what so ever.

There are plenty of inconsistencies with this game, for example if HELLER is the second most wanted man in NEW YORK ZERO (NEW YORKS new name) how come he can walk around without alarms going off everywhere? Also when he flies into a restricted area you don`t get alarms going off willy nilly? When he is discovered (usually morphed into someone else) all he has to do is turn back into HELLER, and the guards ignore him (WTF?)

So put the storyline to one side, and lets check out the gameplay, which isn`t too bad really, it’s sort of a mixture of saints row , incredible hulk and many other free roaming, open world type games, there are plenty of side missions which generally involve hunting and absorbing certain individuals, (or destroying things) by means of your hunting radar, which I found quite frustrating to use, it just didn`t work for me that element , the developers could have come up with a better idea to be honest.

There`s plenty of missions to complete and you generally end up fighting some boss character, which you then absorb, resulting in another upgrade.

The gameplay can be  pretty repetitive, and this does make the game a bit of a chore after a while, especially with HELLER`S lame Neanderthal comments littered with bad language, now HELLER himself is sort of mad flesh Swiss army knife, with numerous attachments sprouting from him , which can make him a pretty fierce opponent , unfortunately I didn`t feel any kind of empathy for the character, fair enough the blokes had his entire family wiped out, but he just doesn`t come across as a grieving family man, just a bit of a nutter !

To be honest there is nothing more satisfying than punching a helicopter, and slashing numerous civilians into chopped liver but that’s really all there is to this game , according to all the hype over the past few months this was akin to the second coming! Instead it turned out to be just another open world slash fest.

It’s not all bad though if you don`t look to deeply into the game and enjoy it for what it is , which is a smash em up gore fest, if you like plenty of mayhem and destruction then this is the game for you ,hijacking tanks and helicopters and going on the rampage are indeed loads of fun,

 The three sections of NEW YORK ZERO, are nicely done and there is plenty of civilians around to absorb and assume their identities (this is how you gain health), with some nice up grades and plenty of action it’s not exactly dull just repetitive at times.

 

Summary

PROTOTYPE 2 is the kind of game that should do well because of a vigorous promo campaign and fair enough the gameplay isn`t the worst around, it just came across as “been there done that” and really isn`t offering anything new.

The Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings- 90`s ponytails become popular again!

If you’re the kind of gamer who wants more out of his game than just pure entertainment, you know the kind of person, the gamer who immerses themselves in the story and becomes for a period in their lives, that character, well if you are that kind of person, then THE WITCHER 2: ASSASSINS OF KINGS has your name written all over it.

Developed by Polish studio CD PROJEKT RED and published by NAMCO-BANDAI it really is a cut and thrust above the rest in many ways.

As I have mentioned before these “wandering around” kind of games with endless cut scenes are not my cup of tea, not that this makes this a bad game, if it can hold my interest then it must have something.

The storyline is pretty complex and based on the books of the same name by ANDRZEJ SAPKOWSKI as we all know.

 

THE WITCHER 2: ASSASSINS OF KINGS is of course the follow up to THE WITCHER a hit back in 2007; all you PC gamers out there have already been playing THE WITCHER 2: ASSASSINS OF KINGS for nearly a year now as it was released back in May 2011 so I imagine you won`t be reading any further.

NAMCO –BANDAI have finally took the plunge and released it on Xbox 360®, will it do well? You ask ,personally I am not so sure, as there are quite a few great sword and sorcery type games out at the moment, KINGDOMS OF AMALUR to mention just one, and with SKYRIM selling well, this game has to have something special to beat them.

THE WITCHER 2 is the story of GERALT OF RIVIA a pasty faced, grumpy kind of guy who for some reason is a bit of ladies’ man (there’s hope for us all)he isn`t the kind of dude you would invite to a party to liven it up that’s for sure.

 

GERALT`S job is that of a monster slayer and as you quickly find he is not your everyday monster/demon killer, even if he does sport a 90`s type pony tail and can make his eyes glow.

THE WITCHER 2 is a very complex game and is definitely aimed at adults, not because of the sex, violence and of course bad language,(again what is it with swearing in these games ) but the game tries to stimulate our intelligence with a deep and intricate story, this is way beyond many of its contemporaries and has been a big hit amongst the PC fraternity because of this.

Personally as I have mentioned these games tend to bore me, I did after a while start hitting the skip button because of the endless cut scenes ,and I did think the controls where not that great , the game did remind me of ASSASSINS CREED but without the action and dynamic game control.

As a gamer who can take or leave these kind of games I didn`t find it as interesting as KINGDOMS OF AMALUR or SKYRIM and the both these games had better in game controls.

OK there is much to praise about THE WITCHER 2, with such an incredible array of potions and spells as well as a plethora of weapons and armour, and you have to think as you enter each situation as to what spells and potions etc you will need for each event.

This is very much a thinking mans (or woman’s) game, if you are after a good old slash fest then you will quickly tire of this.

THE WITCHER 2 is a vast extravaganza with plenty of side quests available form fist fighting in bars, playing pokerdice ,getting involved in missing persons and even ghost stories, again the usual kind of thing for these type of games. I do like the way it is crafted though with well thought out quests that are more than just “fill ins”

The scenery is highly detailed and well lit but I still kept thinking of the comparisons to ASSASSINS CREED, in fact GERALT even wears a hood for a while.

PC gamers of course get the better deal as the frame rate and graphics are way better, but if you load it onto your XBOX 360® hard drive then quality does improve.

The Splatters-It Really Does Make A Splash

There are plenty of Physic engine puzzle games on XBLA® at the moment ,some good some not so good , THE SPLATTERS developed by SPIKY SNAIL is one of the former, it’s a new take on the genre and quite refreshing to see something different .

THE SPLATTERS are little fluid type creatures, and your goal is to shoot their liquid filled bodies at bombs placed around the stage, a simple task you may think, well we all know that isn`t going to be the case don`t we. There are many ways to do this including throwing them onto spikes or even changing direction to get to the more difficult bombs.

There are many obstacles to overcome in this game and you will have to put on your thinking cap as well, to start with game play is relatively easy and you are slowly lured into the game, with little tips like pressing the Y button, which will show you how to complete the level if you can`t figure it out, this is a nice touch, then just as you are getting used to it, on the next section you have more complicated levels and no help.

 

OK so there are loads of these kinds of games around, and this is a mixture of PUDDLE, LEMMINGS and half a dozen other games we have had over the years, even the voices reminds me of WORMS, therefore originality is not what this is about, even if the developers like to have us believe, in fact this is all about having fun, and as I have just spent my entire weekend hooked on this game I can guarantee fun is indeed what you will have (including a few moments of frustration).

There is the usual format within THE SPLATTERS, the better the stunts the higher your score, and attaining 3 stars on a regular basis is not particularly hard after a while, with the use of stunt combos you can create liquid blasting mayhem .

The three sections within the game offer a variety of skill, and what seems like endless levels certainly keep you occupied that’s for sure, using the left trigger helps you flip momentum so you can launch at those difficult areas, this is a handy little move and does take a while to master, it’s a bit like a time reversal kind of thing.

The controls are pretty straight forward, and can be mastered in no time, but what makes this game interesting  is that you really cannot be complacent when playing, as it isn`t very forgiving, there will be moments when you want to throw the controller because it just doesn`t look possible to complete, but the addictiveness of the game keeps drawing you back to have “just one more go”

SPLATTER TV is the spectator/sharing element of the game which is a sort of leader board with knobs on, enabling you to see how other players completed difficult sections and sharing scores.

Ridge Racer Unbounded – Road Rage Never Felt So Good

If you have ever wanted to drive at high speed through a city centre, smashing through buildings and destroying rival vehicles in an explosive fireball, then I would seek professional help immediately. Then again if you want to do it in a virtual world, RIDGE RACER UNBOUNDED is the place for you!

RIDGE RACER UNBOUNDED is the latest release from NAMCO-BANDAI and BUGBEAR ENTERTAINMENT and is a petrol heads wet dream. Ok it’s no Forza or Dirt, but it doesn’t claim to be . In fact this is more like Burnout ‘s evil cousin. Not since the days of Burnout have I enjoyed myself so much with a driving game. Fair enough, the cars are not as realistic as say FORZA 4. Each car does have its own characteristics though. Let’s face it folks, this is all about carnage and destruction! RIDGE RACER UNBOUNDED has some of the best elements from Burnout, and then added its own twist to the tale. No surprises though as the developers are BUGBEAR, who are responsible for such classics as Flatout and Flatout Ultimate Carnage.

This game is nothing like its predecessors, in fact the only thing it has in common with them is the name. Yet this is a good thing! BUGBEAR has introduced a fresh and dynamic new look to the series and about time too! After all RIDGE RACER has been around for nearly twenty years. The whole game is set in the city of Shatter Bay, so be prepared for some hairy inner city driving.

RIDGE RACER UNBOUNDED is not a forgiving game at all, and you really have to earn your points right from the start. It’s not at all like in Forza 4 where you can progress to the next track whether you win or lose. Oh no, not this time buddy! Be prepared to return to races over and over again until you reach that magic top 3 position. You can earn points for crashing into things and taking out opponents, which does eventually unlock cars and tracks, but you still have to do better each time or you won’t progress.

The level of destruction available is very impressive and I took great pleasure in smashing through objects at high speed. Make sure though that the object is smaller than your car, otherwise its crash and burn time for you. You do have a power boost bar which fills when you do a nice power slide round a corner or slipstream another car. Its then that you have the ability to smash through buildings and create shortcuts. You can of course use the power boost to frag other cars and initiate explosions, which when timed right, can take out multiple rivals.

The big thing about RIDGE RACER over the years has been the drifting, and that is available in this game, by holding the B button as you hit a corner it allows your car to drift around it. Which is fine with a controller, but a slightly awkward when using a driving wheel. I found I could reproduce the same effect by braking and spinning the wheel like a real car. Of course using a wheel is the best way to enjoy this game, I used the Madcatz Wireless Wheel, which was superb and really brought the game to life.

RIDGE RACER UNBOUNDED is divided into different zones within the city and within each of these zones (as they become unlocked) are a variety of races and challenges:

• DOMINATION races are a real test of your driving skills, and you aren’t given an easy ride from the offset, in fact you will be hitting the restart button a good few times before you get up in the top 3.
• FRAG ATTACK speaks for itself really. You have a certain amount of time to take down (FRAG) as many opponents as you can. Again not that easy when you are trying to avoid oncoming traffic and obstacles.
• SHINDO RACING, which is more racing than anything, can be fast and furious.
• TIME TRIALS are all about completing an outrageous stunt course within a certain time; you have to hit the bonus time tokens to keep going.
• DRIFT ATTACK again pretty obvious. You gain points and time by drifting, which is not easy with a steering wheel.

RIDGE RACER UNBOUNDED is a big game, and well worth the money as the nine different areas take some time to get through. Plus there’s the course building element, which enables players to build their own course and share it online. This is a great and innovative move by the developers and should be a favourite amongst the on-line community. What a great idea to be able to build your own racetrack and challenge people to beat it! The on-line play apart from the course building element is spot on, just a pity the game doesn’t have a multiplayer/split screen element.

Capcom requesting fan art and music submissions for Street Fighter's 25th anniversary

Capcom has only revealed a few details about their plans to celebrate Street Fighter's 25th anniversary, but they're dropping hints. The publisher is calling for fan submissions in honor of the fighting series.

Art and music contributions are now being accepted. Capcom is looking specifically for "celebratory art" that shows a theme of "reflection and nostalgia," as well as remixes or fresh iterations of Street Fighter songs. Lucky fans will have their submissions featured in an "official capacity" later on.

The Capcom-Unity website also announced that a series of tournaments with a $500,000 prize pool would be held to commemorate the occasion.

New activity in the performs by person who proved helpful on ToeJam & Earl

A job list was published by HumaNature Companies, an independent creator that looks to carry a new name for one of Sony's game playing gadgets. Greg Jackson, who proved helpful on the pleasant ToeJam & Earl together with Level Voorsanger, said his facilities is operating on a name that is "cute and loaded with unique individuality."

Johnson is looking for someone to take on the part of cause developer on the venture. Though there's no concept on the mission's name or any other information, the dev said you can examine out the studio's web page to get an concept as to what art design the encounter is going for.

After looking at the web page for myself, I can certainly verify the whole "cute" and "quirk personality" components HumaNature is preparing to generate into its activity. Moreover to the enchanting factors of the encounter, HumaNature also wishes to make an encounter that's "super modern in the place of psychological AI and individuality simulator."

Minecraft creator praises Origin as a 'good thing'

 

Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson approves of Origin, EA's digital platform.

That doesn't mean he hates Steam.  The founder of Mojang just thinks it's a good thing that Valve's Steam service has some competition.

"I think it's a bit dangerous to only have one digital distribution platform like Steam," he said to GameSpy. "I love Valve, but out of principle, I find the idea of one platform a bit scary. So I like that there are others competing – for example, Desura and Impulse, who recently got bought by GameStop. It's a good thing that there are more."

As for the service itself, Notch said, "Origin does a couple things badly compared to Steam -- which is impressive since they had eight years to study Steam.

"They should definitely have a chance to do their thing, but they might want to move away from titles that make people use it and show people why they should use it."

Halo 4 sees the return of the 'iconic' Battle Rifle

In last week's Halo bulletin, 343 Industries revealed some fresh looks at Master Chief in Halo 4 wielding the iconic Battle Rifle.  And while 343 has stated that the new Halo 4 game "still feels" like the original trilogy, there are still plenty of changes - one of them being the Battle Rifle.

In yesterday's Halo 4 bulletin, 343 Industries confirmed the Battle Rifle is officially coming back in Halo 4, "in all of its three-round-burst glory."

The BR85HB Service Rifle is a gas-operated, magazine-fed semi-automatic rifle optimized for three-round-burst firing, and proven to be extraordinarily effective against dissipative energy shielding on both exotic and domestic armor types. Performance-wise, the Battle Rifle is hitscan (meaning the effect is immediate), it features a scope attachment (x2), and it has recoil in its current tuning (rising slightly when fired but in a suppressible way). It doesn’t have bloom, the rhythm feels good when firing it, and it can be used for longer-range engagement.

The Battle Rifle in the Halo games is probably most known for its three-round burst.  Unlike previous games, where damage lacked, the Battle Rifle in Halo 4 is "felt and heard".

"The major driving force behind the design of the Halo 4 Battle Rifle was a decision to base it on real-world weaponry and then add sci-fi elements," it was explained. "Since the BR already existed, we didn’t want to deviate too far from its last iteration. So we updated it, while putting our own creative spin on it. The overall silhouette is similar to the existing BR, with a few artistic changes."

"Old-school UNSC weapons were grounded in modern day to give the sense that Spartans are underpowered. We wanted to retain that while pushing the sci-fi elements. You can see that in the scope, the LCD display, the ammo count, and other stylistic details on the gun."

"In regard to the scope in particular, traditionally, Halo has had one type of each weapon per game. Taking into consideration Halo 4’s sandbox, we went with the square scope to differentiate it from other guns and rifles that have bulky scopes on them."

In addition to the look and power of the Battle Rifle, all-new audio was recorded to convey the power of the weapon through sound.

"The three-round burst is one of the most important aspects of this gun, and that is represented through a slightly ascending pitch scale and a strong accent on the final shot," community manager Jessica Shea explained.

"Since the Battle Rifle is one of the most popular Halo weapons, we’ve repeatedly asked ourselves, “What do we keep the same, and what do we change?” We want the Battle Rifle to be an iconic status weapon. When players get it, we want them to feel empowered, especially by the way it operates."

"We’re hoping that we nailed it. You can let us know Holiday 2012," Shea concluded.

Pineapple Smash Crew Review

Pineapple Smash Crew's capabilities should be bullet points for fulfillment: a great aesthetic, rockin' audio and a clever game play hook. But it does not have much in the way of, nicely, an actual game. Just what starts of being a novel premise swiftly devolves into a sometimes mind-numbing routine, souring the initial promise of this kind of quirky little independent game.

Pineapple Break Crew puts a person in control of four cute looking mercenaries. No, truly, their bulging shield and tiny brains - done way up in charmingly old-school graphics : can't help however draw out a smile. The actual mercs only goal in your life is to get money, carried out by smashing enemies a single randomly generated amount after the next. Ultimately they'll gain sufficient "coordinates" through completing quests to unlock the last stage, after which level you can do it all over again. However why you'd want to continue is beyond us. The missions simply don't vary sufficient - in appears, design or opponent types - to maintain it feeling interesting. Moreover money, on the face the reason you're undertaking what you're doing, is only utilized to buy respawns for your mercenaries.

The particular gameplay hook that produces Pineapple Smash Folks stand out is their take on "squad combat" and weapons. You control all of your mercs at once, shifting them about like a little unit, along with firing all their weapons in sync. In reality they will operate as one character with four, a bit spaced out, arms and legs but it's nonetheless a good way to make it experience different.

Its handle grenades, which really simply means all deployable secondary tools in this instance, also creates some initially fulfilling action. Levels tend to be littered with secondary goods, and as you gain levels by gathering expertise orbs you unlock more. Some examples of what drops under the "grenade" moniker within Pineapple Smash Staff include an item that permits you to teleport to its location, getting rid of everything in a series in between, a deployable relationship thrower, as well as more traditional explosives. What they've in common is that they can easily all be tossed out there at will, then after activated with a appropriate click of the mouse. It enables you to, say, toss a product gun grenade past the wall, activating this so it kills a lot of enemies who are unable to get to you. Each member of your product can carry a grenade from any one time, enabling you to quickly mouse tyre through them to be able to, in principle, obtain the right grenade for the scenario at hand.

There are a lot involving grenades to unlock, but none of them of them alter game play enough to really feel all that significant. A lot of games such as Tetris, Crops vs. Zombies and Irritated Birds manage to always be fun despite his or her repetition, most likely due to slight, but critical, tweaks they expose to the gameplay. Like a new zombie or questionable weapon might totally change up the methods you use. More often these kind of games might even bring in a new enemy kind and grenade simultaneously, driving you to adapt. Blueberry Smash Crew furthermore introduces new weaponry and minor adjustments to enemies during its campaign, nevertheless they really change up how we play. A tight few foes problem you by having immunities to a particular weapon types, with the remainder just having a much more health or shield. At no point would I unlock a brand new grenade that corresponded with adversaries that made me combine my tactics. Beginning to end the gameplay only agreed to be run, shoot along with blow up anything My partner and i saw in quantities that quickly combined together.

Gotham City Impostors Review

Ever since it came out, IGN's been a bit bewildered by Gotham City Impostors. It's really a downloadable first-person shooter placed in the Batman whole world, but it doesn't attribute the Dark Knight (who, naturally, is a hero which doesn't believe in pistols). I've spent several days with Gotham City Impostors, and even though I enjoy the game, I'm not sure why it exists. Who was simply asking for this mash-up? It is like when they released Batman action figures along with neon skis, however digress.

There's no single-player campaign throughout Gotham City Impostors outside of a number of medal challenges. The majority of the title can be online firefights between 6 members of team Superman and six people in team Joker. Actually, you are not Batman or even the Joker -- just folks and gals dressed up like the characters. You choose your body type and also loadout before spitting bullets in a of three multi-player modes (iterations involving deathmatch, king of the mountain and capture the particular flag) and wishing you end up with some nice XP to discover the next round involving perks.

It's one-dimensional along with straight forward, but it's great. Plenty of people picked up the particular controller at my workplace and said "Oh, this specific controls just like Cod." It's easy to intention, run, switch guns and everything else you'll expect from a first-person present shooter in 2012. The particular controls feel good plus it runs well -- particularly for an online title wherever you're dying then getting thrown back into the action.

Nonetheless, it's the things you pricier that Gotham City Impostors features loads of. Whereas Orlando Bale and comic books have got trained us all to come up with dark, rainy days with serious undertones in terms of Gotham City and its Caped Crusader, Impostors is focused on cheeseball.

You assemble the character's outfit from leftovers -- a vampire cpe, a cardboard field cowl and so on. All the five maps is actually bathed in natural light with bright purples along with greens radiating from the surfaces. The characters an individual play as goes one-liners such as "Why won't any individual be my friend?!Inch after a kill. This can be like the child associated with COD and the Superman and Robin movie. The Adam West Superman TV show would be it's Godfather. So much crazy will get shoved into the online game that it's easy to find oneself giggling after getting lost or watching the particular animated tutorials.

Whilst you have normal guns like rifles as well as machine guns, unlockable assist items and tools like spring footwear, the glider cape, along with roller skates also get thrown in. You can use boomerangs, excellent green goggles to determine through walls, and also personalized calling cards which means that your victims know whom smoked them.
Also, that Joker hurts.
All of this is... good. I had enough entertaining playing Gotham City Impostors, however was never hooked. The particular flat trees as well as blocky visuals aren't extraordinary, and, outside of deathmatch, the particular modes bore. Whilst perfectly functional and also crammed with unlockables (there's a minimum of a level 500), it amounts to just 5 maps, a sense of laughter and the Batman licence. I don't know if that's sufficient to warrant $15 and the other first-person shooter multiplayer selection.

Even worse for Personal computer players is the fact that it really is incredibly difficult to get right into a game right now. To be truthful, I'm sick of relaxing in lobbies waiting to get the minimal number of players to get started on. Hopefully, this gets greater as the days spin by, but today, it's frustrating. In addition, there's no gamepad support pertaining to Gotham City Impostors.

What's interesting -- at least from a gaming console perspective -- is Gotham Metropolis Impostor's love of the microtransaction. You cash in on costume coins will buy new safety gloves and emblems for the character throughout the sport, but if you don't feel as if waiting, you can use actual money to buy the light looks. I'm great with the ability to buy colder calling cards and friends that float close to your character, nevertheless the ability to buy one hour of Double Exp over and over again is a bit unusual.