Forget Iron Chef and get yourself ready to slice and dice in Sushi Hero, a humourous combination of platforming, running, chopping and sushi making coming from Ayopa Games and Design Symphonies to iPhone and iPod Touch devices on the 20th December 2012. Players will fine tune their sushi making skills over 20 unique levels as they try to appease the invading aliens with their fine fishy delights, always being wary of the dreaded fugu. Wasabi power ups are always available to keep up your strength as you chop your way through schools of fish awaiting your culinary skills. Sushi Hero offers 3 levels of difficulty making it perfect for casual and hardcore gamers.
Games Workshop’s classic 1989 board game Space Hulk is getting turned into a 3D, turn-based strategy game by independent studio Full Control for PC, Mac and iOS.
I’m guessing you Warhammer fans are squeeling with excitement right now. For everyone else, going “Space Hulk…huh?” well to put in simply, a space hulk is a mass of derelict ships and space stations that have amassed themselves into a one giant entity drifting out in The Warp.
Following on from the the “Sin of Damnation” campaign from the third edition of the board game, Space Hulk puts players in control of a Blood Angels Space Marine squad as they fight to survive against an alien race called Genestealers.
The game will feature single player and co-op play, along with cross-platform multiplayer, a level editor and DLC expansion.
Space Hulk is set to be released sometime in 2013.
Fans of collectible card games are in luck, as the tactical collectible card game Minion Master is now available for purchase. Made by BitFlip Games, this title combines the moment-to-moment tactics of Collectible Card Games with the long-term strategy of Miniature War gaming – for one awesome experience.
Here are some more details:
Minion Master is a Digital Board game that brings together the moment-to-moment tactics of collectible card games with the long-term strategy of miniature war gaming. Players’ battle with armies of figurines on a hex based board. Minions are summoned and controlled using a custom built deck of cards. Minion Master boasts 6 player co-op and versus multiplayer, a Level Editor, a Deck Builder, fully customizable match setup, and a constantly expanding universe of Minions to control. Inspired by physical RPG board and card games Minion Master simultaneously adding in elements that are only possible in a virtual world.
Sound good? Well, you can find out more information about Minion Master here, and support this humble developer who look to have a deep and intriguing experience for all to enjoy.
Playstation users have a second destination to obtain games, movies and television shows as Sony Entertainment Network and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe revealed a new online store. The content available on the store include full versions of Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita games, downloadable content, PSOne Classics and subscriptions to Playstation Plus. Also available in selected countries are movies and television shows available in the Playstation Store. The store can be found at https://store.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/.
Playstation users should note that the any content purchased on the store, whether it is gaming, movie or television, will be automatically added to the Download List in the Playstation Store. Users who have the Media Go application on their PC will be able to watch video on said PC. Like the Playstation Store, this new online store will receive updates for improvement and there are plans to introduce the store for smartphones and tablets.
Only fifteen countries has access to the online store, all within the European and PAL region. These are the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Russia, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark and Finland. The PC online store will make its way to North America and other regions in the future. Video (both movies and television), however, can only be purchased in these six countries: Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Australia.
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Developer: SUMO Digital Publisher: Sega Platform: Nintendo Wii U (Reviewed), Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo 3DS Release Date: November 18, 2012 Price: $39.99 – BUY NOW
Overview
Just two years ago, Sega released a surprisingly solid kart racer by the name of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. While not revolutionary, the sheer speed of the game and fan service sprinkled in made for a fantastic spin-off for the blue wonder and friends, leaving many hungry for more. Fast forward to the present, and we have a new sequel by the name of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. These famed racers can now “transform” their own vehicles in order to take to the skies and water. Adding to the package comes some minor fixes and even more fan service that Sega’s fans are sure to gobble up. Does Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed prove it’s worth, or is it one racer that is left in the dust by Nintendo’s mustached plumber. Grab your Gamepads and slam on your brakes, as here is our review for the Wii U version.
Gameplay
If it isn’t broke…well, you know the rest. For the most part, Sega have changed little for All-Stars Racing in comparison to it’s predecessor’s polished gameplay. Of course that is a good thing, as this sequel really only builds upon what worked. The standard cars race about like you would expect, and just require the player to hold down on the gas pedal with the right trigger, while steering their racer with the analog stick. Vehicles are handled based on the stats of the selected driver, with the larger racers suffering a little bit in speed – but making up for the stat loss with better durability and overall handling. Of course this means the smaller lot have greater speed and can take sharp turns with ease, but crumble faster when slamming into obstacles that little the course.
Yeah, most of you already know how Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed handles – as at it’s core, it’s still the fluid kart racer we seen released last year. What makes this title unique however is the alternate mods for vehicles that give them the ability to race in water and propel into the air. Many tracks have three different portions. You have your standard racing on land, but when a water or aerial portion appears – the player will then watch their vehicle transform into a fully functional racing boat or plane. We have seen this gimmick used before in other titles, but none do it better than Transformed as the entire track comes into play to make it feel as if you are in the water or on land with the physics of the terrain at hand. Yes, this is how it should have been done to start with, but too many racing titles that apply these mechanics do little to push the envelope and make any of the racing methods feel different from one other. All-Stars Racing features moving water and blowing winds however that force the player to adapt, making the race more exciting and keeping the action fresh until that finish lane is crossed.
Power-ups are much improved this time around as well. Once a capsule is collected, the player can fire a projectile, launch a boost, or go into their unique All Star move, which offers a boost with invincibility perks – while allowing the player to attack any opponents by tapping the X Button at the same time. As an example, Ulala uses her blaster and groovy dance moves to gain an edge, while Sonic relies on his Super Sonic speed to get himself into first and can launch at other racers to knock them for a loop. With all of the racers in the game (29 in total), one will have a blast simply executing each. In the previous Sonic racing, the All-Stars move and power-ups in general felt a bit unbalanced, as the standard power-ups were rather weak and did little to effect opponents and while the All-Stars moves were great, the player rarely seen them unless they were lagging behind. That has changed in Transformed though, as you can use your own projectiles to destroy an obstacle or block an incoming enemy attack, and those special maneuvers will show up for all racers this time around, letting everyone experience the awesomeness at least once during a race (if those capsules are collected, that is).
As far as modes go, the Career Mode has a lot to offer and acts as the main centerpiece for the experience. World Tour has the player participate in different events throughout the 20 unique in game tracks, where the player progresses after they complete a certain objective. While some of these events are just standard racing fare, others mix things up – delivering activities such as timed boost, drifting, and traffic maneuvering challenges. Yes, they all are great in their own right, and do wonders to keep the player invested while they gain stars to unlock more tracks and racers. Grand Prix mode is also back in full swing, as well as the single race and time attack. Yeah, these modes play the same as the previous entry, but are still worthy of your attention once you have unlocked everything. During any bout, the player will be rewarded for their performance with XP, which is then used to level up their racer – and get a better performing vehicle in return. All of these options come together as one, well oiled machine and due to the races being so enjoyable, it will be hard for anyone to tear themselves away from the controller due to the large variety of options Sega have littered this title with.
Multiplayer can be played locally or online. For the online races, one or more (yes, you can bring a friend online) can participate in Lucky Dip, Arena Mode, and your general race to the finish. Local play has these options as well as Party Play, which utilizes the Gamepad so that up to 5 can participate at once. Speaking of the Gamepad, Sumo Digital have incorporated Nintendo’s new controller wonderfully. While racing, the player can lift up the device to get a rear view mirror shot of the oncoming contenders. When the Gamepad is in standard use, a map is displayed – showing each opponent’s place and power-up. All of this may sound hectic when watching the television at the same time, but thankfully – everything feels incredibly natural and polished.
I can barely put into words of what the best feature is within Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed truly is. What, you may ask? Pure Sega. No other game in the history of the publisher’s illustrious history has shown more tribute to their famed mascots than this superb racer. Sure, the obvious characters are in, such as Sonic, Tails, Shadow, Knuckles, and Amy, but Sumo went the extra mile this time around and included lesser known franchise leads – with the likes of Gilius Thunderhead, Vyse, Joe Musashi, and even one special unlockable that you Dreamcast fans will have to see to believe. It’s not just the racers though. Stickers from all of these major franchises act like beautiful achievements for accomplishing objectives, and the large variety of worlds torn from Panzer Dragoon, Skies of Arcadia, and Jet Set Radio Future are sure to comfort that nostalgia gland for anyone looking to see some stunning recreations of past visited localed. Hell, Ristar is even the flagman. Yes, this title is dripping with fan service, and with the already solid gameplay, it would be a shame for any retro lover to pass up the massive tribute offered.
Visuals and Audio
Like most launch titles on the Wii U, this game pushes the power of the platform with bright, vibrant colors in HD. Yes, it looks every bit as good as the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions, and the Gamepad’s picture is just as pristine for those who prefer to play with the detached feature. Every character, whether it be someone who we have seen time and time again like Sonic, or the rarer seen heroes such as Joe Musashi have been recreated for this game with a fully featured transforming ride, capturing their own franchise’s legacy perfectly. Seeing the vehicles transform is also pleasant, as the transition is smooth and fluid, not disturbing the race happenings whatsoever. The best thing to see visually however comes in the massive tracks, which have been built from the ground up to capture their original title’s spirit.
Soundtrack wise, this one is for you, Sega fans. Sky Sanctuary’s tunes will fill your head with notalgia, while tracks like the theme Grafitti City from Jet Set Radio are sure to make that locale worth visiting all over again. Making things better is the All-Stars move, which feature a small track inspired by the character you are playing as. Remember the Knuckles Rap? Amy’s Song? Well, all of those and more have made the cut, offering even more reward for triggering the special ability of each playable mascot.
Overall
Mario Kart is always the series that all other racing franchises have to look up to, as it set the standard for what this type of game should be. Sumo have done the once impossible with Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed however, and have beaten that formula with more exciting gameplay, beautiful worlds, and enough fan service to make a Sega fan explode. With all of the extra content, fans will stay busy for hours on end as they level up their racers and relive their childhoods. This once spin-off series does nearly everything right and never lets off the gas, propelling Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed as the best kart racer of this generation. Sorry Mario, a serious contender has just pulled up to the starting line.
Siren Visual have officially announced that they have acquired the license to distribute and release anime series Tokyo Magnitude 8.0. It marks another entry in a long line of noitaminA anime titles licensed by Siren Visual, this one in particularly having aired way back in 2009.
Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is set within a post-earthquake Tokyo, which is left in ruins after a collossal quake struck. The series follows characters Yuuki and Mirai as they travel across the ruined land in order to get to their parents in Setagaya. There was some controversy about the series during it’s reruns which unfortunately were aired around the same time as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake which resulted in the series being pulled from TV at that time.
Siren have confirmed that they will be releasing Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 on both DVD and Blu-Ray over a two-disc slipcover encased complete series collection which will even feature and English dub to boot.
What do you think of Siren Visual licensing Tokyo Magnitude 8.0? Let us know in the comments section below.
Now there is no excuse not to be playing Gamevils Baseball Superstars 2013, a franchise that has had over 45 million downloads and is now free with crystal clear graphics in Full HD via the Google Play App store. Baseball Superstars takes the sport to the next level for mobile devices, offering a unique RPG experience intertwined with an immersive storyline, challenges and daily tasks. The new and improved touch system gives players more control over the pitcher and batter, and in between challenging friends through the PvP mode and accruing points players can show off to the female members of the crowd and stake their claim in the hall of fame.
“We are excited to release Baseball Superstars 2013 with our line of winter releases this year,” stated Kyu Lee, VP and Head of GAMEVIL USA. “The game has improved considerably in all areas since its past installment, and we believe the improved graphics and intuitive controls will immerse gamers and baseball fans in the full baseball RPG experience on mobile devices around the world.
If you thought that Tecmo Koei was going to let the holidays just pass by without dressing up your favorite characters in Santa outfits then you have another thing coming. Today Tecmo Koei revealed that they will be releasing yet another costume pack but this time around they are all Santa related outfits.
There are three packs which can be bought for $2.99/240MSP each and they are the Nice Girls pack which provides Kasumi, Hitomi and Leifang with Santa outfits, the Naught Girls pack which gives Ayane, Christie and Tina some St. Nick outfits while the boys are given some love too with Lil’ Santas giving six boys a Santa outfit, with Hayabusa, Jann Lee, Bayman, Bass, Hayate and Akira receiving outfits.
You can check out the girls as well as the guys (not all guys were given images) in the screenshots below and you may also consider purchasing all of the packs in a single purchase by picking up the Round 6 Costume DLC for $7.99/640MSP. Anyone going to dress their favorite fighter up for the holidays?
Update: High-res versions of the costumes were released and the images have been replaced with the new versions. Check ’em out below.
Here’s some interesting news from Madman, it seems that they are releasing the English dub from the reasonably good From Up On Poppy Hill in a limited run in cinemas this December. The Cinemas that the film will be screening at are as follows: Cinema Nova (VIC), Dendy Newtown (NSW), Dendy Canberra (ACT) and Luna Leederville (WA).
The film follows the tale of a small group of characters that are working towards the goal of keeping their club-house alive. However, on the side of that is a love story shared between the two main leads that has a high potential of drama.
We’ve previously reviewed the Japanese Subtitled version of this film, which you should check out here. Hint, it’s a good movie worth watching. Be sure to check out From Up On Poppy Hill in the previously mentioned cinemas come December 20 this year.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Dragonborn Developer:Bethesda Publisher:Bethesda Platforms:PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (Reviewed) Release Dates: December 4, 2012 (360), Early 2013 (PC & PS3) Price: 1600 MSP ($20) – Available Here
Overview: Many gamers have sunk hundreds of hours in the world of Skyrim and a few may even have seen everything they thought that there was to see in the game, however Bethesda has kept a decent flow of DLC for the game since its release last year. Now that players have seen the expanded side of vampires in Dawnguard, built houses and created families with Hearthfire, what about the chances of another Dragonborn roaming the land? Skyrim’s latest piece of DLC, Dragonborn, promises to take players to a new but familiar land and a new threat to the world that must be stopped, but is this DLC worth your time and money? Let’s find out.
Story: As the player enters any of the major cities of Skyrim, a strange group of cultists appears and tries to take your life in the name of Miraak. As you leave their bodies behind to cool in the crisp air, the player’s adventure begins as they head to the island of Solstheim to find out why these cultists wanted your head.
When players arrive in Solstheim they find a number of strange and unexplained occurrences happening in the land and all of it seems to be tied to someone who was meant to have died a long time ago, someone who was the original Dragonborn, Miraak. With Miraak and his fanatical followers out for blood and growing in power by the day, the player must set out to put a stop to this evil creature’s plans and save not only the island of Solstheim but perhaps all of Tamriel.
Now while Dragonborn’s DLC does offer a relatively intriguing main storyline with the involvement of Miraak, the writing quickly begins to fall apart as the player progresses through the main storyline. This is thanks mostly to the fact that while Miraak may seem imposing at first, he is not only underutilized but he is also very ineffective at being a serious villain that the player should even be concerned with. This means that while the story may seem interesting to start with, by the time Dragonborn’s main story is over you will have spent more of your time focusing on side-quests.
For good reason too, because there are a number of intriguing side-storylines introduced with Dragonborn and one of them happens to feature a certain Daedric Prince which shall go nameless to keep things a surprise. Now these side-stories are of course just that, side-stories, and are usually brief but they help make up for the relatively weak main questline.
Visuals & Audio: Thanks to the fact that Solstheim is an island of Morrwind, players who have played that title should instantly be able to recognize some of the designs that the houses of Solstheim feature and the armor that it’s residents wear. It is also worth noting that there are classic mushroom style houses which Morrowind players are familiar with, but there are plenty of shades of Skyrim scattered through this DLC still, but the developers have found a nice balance between the old and new content with their Dragonborn offering.
As far as the voice work and background noise go, Dragonborn provides an experience similar to what was found in the standard Skyrim experience and the newly added main characters in this DLC are voiced well-enough, but do little to actually be memorable in any way.
Gameplay: Now the land of Solstheim may sound very familiar to gamers who have played Morrowind in the past and the reason for that is because Solstheim was actually the island that Morrowind’s Bloodmoon DLC took place on. This means that there are a number of different locations that will be familiar to players who played the previous title and it is a great way to show how much time has passed and how much the island has changed over the course of time between Morrowind and Skyrim.
As one would expect, visiting the island of Solstheim not only means that there are new locations to be seen, but also a lot of new equipment and weapons to use. There are two sets of armor which may be familiar to players who have played Morrowind before and a number of new pieces as well, including of armor and weaponry which can best be described as enchanted ice, the whole set of which is quite “cool” when used together. It is worth noting though that the newer armor in the game seems to heavily favor those who prefer using heavy armor which is unfortunate for light armor wearers.
Outside of the main quest-line, as mentioned earlier, there are a number of side-quests to be finished, tons of areas to explore, new and interesting shouts that can be learned and players can even learn to tame dragons. Yes, dragons can now be tamed and perhaps one of the most requested features in Skyrim has been added in with Dragonborn… the ability to fly ontop of a dragon. Now it is worth noting that dragon riding is not fully controllable which is very unfortunate. Instead you will be able to attack with your dragon’s breath weapons while flying in the sky to a set location, as the dragon riding is set to only on-rail journeys.
It is worth noting that there are also quite a few new enemies to encounter on Solstheim and some of them can be nightmarish in their design. That also means that there are some very tight combat sequences where players may struggle against these new hard hitting enemies. Rather than frustrating, this serves as a nice challenge to players who are likely able to power-through nearly every enemy in the game now and these fights add some challenge to the new area.
Unfortunately, bugs do rear their ugly head once again, which is becoming an unfortunate trademark for Bethesda’s Skyrim and Dragonborn is no exception. Throughout my twenty hours of playing through the game the title chose to freeze three times, my character fell through the floor twice and could only be saved by loading an older save and a number of other smaller, less game ending bugs that pestered me throughout the experience.
Overall: Skyrim’s Dragonborn DLC takes players back to an area which will serve as a great reminder for what may be one of their favorite past games. Now while the DLC may offer a lackluster main quest-line there is so much side-content to be lost in that players can happily forget the main story in the pursuit of side-quests, new item gathering and more. Skyrim’s Dragonborn DLC may not offer everything a fan would want, but with upwards of twenty hours worth of content, a new(ish) land to explore and some new lore and backstory to discover, Dragonborn will keep players eager to venture into the world of Tamriel once again.
