After being somewhat quiet about when players would get the chance to test their power of the Force and pinball at the same time Zen Studios has finally announced a release date. Â Coming just next week, February 26th and 27th, 2013 will be releasing with in a multitude of methods, in both DLC and standalone formats, with the first three tables of Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Players can pick the game as DLC for Pinball FX2 on XBLA for 800 MS Points, Zen Pinball 2 on PSN for both PS3 and PS Vita with Cross Buy for $9.99 or €9.99, Zen Pinball 2 for MacApp Store at $2.99 per table, Zen Pinball for Apple App Store for $1.99 per table, or Zen Pinball HD on Google Play for $1.99 per table.  Where as stand alone can be downloaded for Apple App Store or Google Play as Star Wars Pinball.
The Star Wars Pinball Collection will include a total of ten tables, leaving only seven left to be revealed.
You may have heard of a unique sounding game called Defiance before, but if you haven’t let me go over a little of what may make Defiance a unique type of gameplay experience. The game is an online open-world shooter that will take place on a shattered Earth sometime in the future. The game will be released alongside the SyFy original TV show of the same name and events from both the game and the show will impact how various things inside each product will develop.
The game itself was slightly touch-and-go as far as release dates go, but today Trion Worlds, developer of Defiance, has announced that they will be partnering with Namco Bandai to bring the title to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on April 2nd. You can check out a teaser trailer for the title below.
Bundle Stars released their third bundle today. The Magic Number Bundle contains eight indie games. Two of the eight games will be announced at a later date. The bundle currently contains point and click adventure game The Whispered World, puzzle game Crazy Machines Elements, tactical action game Helldorado, turn based strategy game Storm: Frontline Nation, point and click adventure game Mata Hari, and action-adventure game Cargo.
The entire bundle is on sale for $5.07 USD or $4.90 AUD. A percentage of the profits will support British charity Special Effect. The charity helps disabled gamers in the UK play video games. Check out the Magic Number bundle here.
Himalaya Studio, the team formerly known as Anonymous Game Developers that was behind the King’s Quest and Quest for Glory remakes, has brought their latest project to Kickstarter. Mage’s Initiation is a old school adventure game with an RPG twist. Players will guide D’arc through his journey to become a Mage of Iginor by helping D’arc solve puzzles and customizing D’arc’s stats, gear, and skills. The game features two interfaces, allowing players to choose between the Sierra Icon Bar or the LucasArts Verb Coin.
Mage’s Initiation has been completely self-funded up to this point, but now needs assistance to hire voice actors, a marketing/PR team, and add final polish to the game. Help Kickstart the game hereor vote for Mage’s Initiation on Steam Greenlight here.
If you’ve been dying to play a great action title then you should probably head on out to your local video game store because one just arrived on their shelves. You see, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is now on store shelves and if you’re a fan of non-stop action then you’ll certainly be doing yourself a disservice because, as you can find out in our reviewof the game, Platinum Games has outdone themselves with this game.
To go along with the title’s launch in North America Konami has released a final launch trailer which was created by Hideo Kojima himself. Want to know how you can tell he made it? It’s seven minutes long, just like his signature cut-scene length.
Real Racing 3 Developer: Fire Monkeys Publisher:Â EA Platform:Â iOS Release Date:Â 14th February, 2013 Price:Free – Available HereÂ
Overview:
Aussie developer Fire Monkeys are carving a name for themselves as one of the most innovative mobile gamer makers on the market. Following their successful mobile version of Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Fire Monkeys are back behind the wheel this time for Real Racing 3.
Real Racing 3 takes all the fun an excitement of racing to the a level that must be seen to believed. With addictive gameplay, inventive multiplayer, thrilling races and a plethora of vehicles at your disposal, Fire Monkeys may just have created their best work to date.
Gameplay:
When you think of the iOS as a gaming platform it is hard not to imagine the likes of simple casual games such as Angry Birds. What Real Racing 3 does is completely redefine what we view mobile platforms as when it comes to gaming. Not only is Real Racing 3 an excellent casual title to play on the go, it is also a game they can be played by hardcore gamers, it finds that perfect balance between the two extremes.
The game plays much like Fire Monkeys mobile version of Need for Speed: Most Wanted, you racing simply by tilting the device, with braking and such being on screen touch operated. This works incredibly well and is simple enough for anyone to be able to play it. Perhaps the most similar experience you could find to Real Racing 3 would be the Forza Motorsport franchise, a series that focuses heavily on providing a realistic racing experience that is simple and intuitive, Real Racing 3 is very much the same in that regard.
As you play through the game you slowly but surely begin to unlock more vehicles, tracks, challenges and game modes. Each race earns you in game currency that can be used to buy vehicles and other sorts of upgrades. If you so choose you can buy in game currency for a small real-life charge. In most games micro-transactions can be bothersome – a real hassle – not in Real Racing 3 though.
In Real Racing 3, micro-transactions are not a necessity, the game does not stop dead in its tracks if you don’t spend cash on it, instead it just provides a gentle nudge and some real rewards for your cash. It has to be said, that there is no point in the game where you must buy something, instead you are given the option if you so choose. I got to try out two of the downloadable packs for the game which included a great deal of content for the price. I purchased the Street Spec Booster Pack and the Supercar Booster Pack and felt that both of them truly enhanced my experience, allowing me use of better vehicles (2008 BMW Z4 M Coupe and 2005 Ford GT respectively) as well as gain access to more series to race in. I felt that it was fully worth the small price of $1.99 and $5.49 respectively as it gave me more to experience, it wasn’t something I needed to do, but it did add to my experience with Real Racing 3 in a real way. All of the download packs look great and are all very reasonably priced.
Progressing through the game allows you more tracks to race upon and more cars to race with. Part of the addictive nature of the game is the desire it instills to unlock and progress further within the game. There never feels like a moment where you are not moving forward, with each race you partake in you feel as though you are getting better and moving forward.
If you enjoy customizing your vehicles, there is more than enough on offer here to entice you, with the ability to upgrade your vehicle as well as respray it to a more preferred colour. In total it is said that their is 46 cars in the game, some are easy to obtain and some are very difficult, it makes for quite the challenge for those looking to collect them all.
The real highlight of the game is its social aspects. Fire Monkeys have undoubtedly revolutionized mobile gaming with their TSM feature. TSM stands for Time-Shifted Multiplayer and it is one of the greatest innovations to hit mobile gaming since its inception. Basically what TSM does is creates a double of your race performance and if you challenge one of your friends they will race against your double when they themselves choose to play. The way your double functions is simply remarkable mimicking your actions although being able to be thrown off course should your opponent ram into them and change the outcome originally made. It is somewhat mind-bending to think that such a technology exists in such a polished format as this. There is so much potential here and I honestly believe that Real Racing 3 lives up to that potential and goes beyond it.
TSM is a large part of Real Racing 3 as it appears that a number of the opponents you face are other players doubles that have been saved for you to race against. It is a truly remarkable system that really changes the way one thinks about multiplayer on a mobile device.
Real Racing 3 is the perfect mix between casual gameplay and hardcore gameplay, blending aspects of games such as Forza Motorsport with the more social aspects seen in games such as Words with Friends. This addictive combination makes Real Racing 3 a truly landmark title for the mobile gaming platform.
Visuals and Audio:
Aesthetically it is hard to come by a game on mobile devices more visually impressive than Real Racing 3. It takes realism to a new level with graphics that look far better than what you would find on most consoles. The shading, textures and animations are astonishing There is an unprecedented amount of detail and attention that went into making this game such an aesthetic powerhouse. It is very obvious that Fire Monkeys wanted to create just as much of an incredible visual experience as they did an incredible gameplay experience.
Real Racing 3’s soundtrack is also particularly noteworthy. Infusing smooth and relaxed beats along with the gameplay creates a chilled and soothing experience that one would expect from a mobile game. There is no overly energetic tracks that add a layer of tension to the gameplay instead the soundtrack consists of tunes that keep you calm and focused on the task at hand. Aurally the calm and cool tracks on show in Real Racing 3, are the perfect fit for this blend of casual social gaming with the hardcore racing.
Overall:
If there was any game that has revolutionized what mobile gaming means it is Real Racing 3, a monumental experience that is as fun as it is inventive. This is the game to play on your mobile, whether you are a racing fan or not, this game breaks down those boundaries making for what is the most socially engaging racing game on the market. Fire Monkeys have created brilliance with Real Racing 3, this is a mobile gaming phenomenon that you will want to be a part of.
8-bit games continue to be massively popular despite becoming outdated several gaming generations ago. Whether it’s nostalgia, the unique aesthetic or the fact that they were significantly harder than contemporary games, 8-bit titles still have a passionate fan base. Capcom has decided now is the time to drop some of its classic titles onto the PS3 and the Xbox 360 to help satiate the demand.
As of yesterday, Capcom started releasing game packs consisting of fan favourites from the by-gone era of arcade classics. From now until early May 15 titles will be gradually released for purchase on the PlayStation network and Xbox Live Arcade. The first individual game available, Black Tiger, was released for PSN yesterday and is available on XBLA today. You can also purchase Game Pack 1, which includes Black Tiger, Avengers and 1943: The Battle of Midway.
Throughout March, April & May more titles will be released in both Game Packs and individual downloads. You can expect to see Side Arms, Ghosts n Goblins, Gun.Smoke, Section Z, Legendary Wings, Trojan, Commando, The Speed Rumbler, Exed Exes (Savage Bees), 1942, SonSon, Pirate Ship and Higemaru. Those who buy every game released in this series will receive 2 free titles which are as yet unannounced.
For fans of the classic arcade aesthetic Capcom Arcade Cabinet will run as its own application, including a music player, the ability to capture video and screenshots, 2 player online play, global leaderboards, the ability to choose from International or Japanese versions & a DIP switch emulator. For the uninitiated a DIP switch was a physical part of the motherboard in arcade machines that allowed you to manipulate the amount of starting lives, the cost per play and the difficulty.
It appears that Capcom knows who is going to buy this pack, hardcore 8-bit fans who know how this stuff works and will revel in its features.
When Awesomenauts was originally released in mid-2012, it had eight playable characters for consoles. Now the PC version has seen another four exclusive characters.  Coming soon, Awesomenauts gets its first new support character – Genji!
Genji is a pollen prophet and one of the last of his caterpillar-type race known as the Entin. Â Known for their insatiable hunger, the Entin were almost totally wiped out by starvation with the exception of a few Popae monks who survived by meditating and fasting. Â Genji was one such monk but was banished after eating a jar of Jagra eggs in a moment of weakness.
Genji is the first support character to come to the Awesomenauts universe since Voltar.  He’s currently being put through his paces in closed beta.  Changes will go live as soon as testing has completed.
You can get more Awesomenauts information here, and be sure to check out the trailer below for a better feel of who Genji is and how he plays!
Back in October last year a unique little title came out of Devolver Digital and this title turned out to be quite a success. This game was called Hotline Miami and since it’s release the game has sold over 300,000 copies on the PC alone and won many awards from the gaming community.
Now, with a sequel already in development, the developers of the game, Dennaton Games and Devolver have revealed that they are bringing the title to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita sometime this Spring. Currently it is unknown how much the title will sell for, but thanks to the game’s Cross-Buy feature, anyone who buys the game on the Vita will also be able to play it on the PlayStation 3 and vice versa.
Today 343 Industries revealed that the next piece of Halo 4 DLC will be called “Majestic” and gamers won’t have very long to wait for it. In fact, it is set to be released next week on February 25th. This map pack brings three new maps to Halo 4 and this time around each map is small and designed to have players immediately entering the fight.
The maps added in this pack are Landfall, Monolith and Skyline. The Majestic DLC also comes with a free-for-all playlist and a 4 on 4 team-based battle. Infinity Rumble is also available in this DLC, but only as a timed exclusive. The DLC will cost you 800 MSP unless you chose to buy Halo 4’s War Games pass, in which case it would be free. Check out some screens of these new maps as well as a “Making of” video to learn how each map differs from one another.
