The wait is nearly over, soon everyone will be able to play together and have an amazing time doing it with the new Nintendo Wii U. Today Nintendo have released the latest commercial for the Wii U focusing on a few of its cool features but also featuring the New Super Mario Bros, where playing together with friends and family is the way to go! The Wii U will be launching in the US on the 18th of November in AU and Europe on the 30th of November and in Japan on the 8th of December of 2012 . Will you be picking one up on Launch day? And what games are you excited to play on the it. Let us know leave a comment below
For more details check out the following Nintendo sites :
Call Of Duty: Black Ops II Playstation 3 Controller Developer:BigBen Interactive Distributor:Bluemouth Interactive Platform: Playstation 3 Release Date: 13/11/2012 Price: AUD$79.95
Overview
With every major gaming release, there will be a multitude of accessories sporting the logo or artwork. In this case, the Playstation 3 will be receiving an official Call of Duty Black Ops II third party controller. Distributed by Bluemouth Interactive, the controller sports the familiar Playstation controller layout with a few differences to the buttons. With some interesting features and design elements added, will this slick controller impress the Call of Duty or Playstation 3 fanatics? Here is the review.
The controller’s appearance is nothing special but still looks good. The majority is a glossy black with the Call of Duty Black Ops II box artwork displayed in the middle. The controller is in fact bigger in size when compared to a first party controller, but the size difference is quite marginal. Looking at the official Playstation 3 controller, the top section between the shoulder buttons is actually curved rather than straight. This adds to the size and it gives more room to the artwork. Behind the controller is a detachable ion battery and indents on the handles. This makes the controller quite comfortable in the hands of any player. This is aided by two rubber grips on each side of the handle. These two rubber grips have the game’s logo carved into them.
In another controller review I had written (which you can read here), I mentioned that it featured LED lighting to light up the controller. The Call of Duty Black Ops trailer also features LED lighting to a limited extent. There is only one colour available, which is orange. The LED lighting is only fitted around the d-pad, underneath the analogue sticks and around each action (X,O, square, triangle). It looks average to be honest. I did discover that it is great for some night time sessions. Unless you are close enough to the TV or memorise the layout of the controller, the LED lighting is bright enough to help locate the buttons on the front of the controller.
The button layout is the same as the Playstation layout of buttons. The analogue sticks are next to each other, a home button is included and all of the familiar Playstation controls are there. With that said, the buttons themselves are different in certain way. The d-pad, for example, does not feature four separate buttons for each direction. Instead, expect a connected d-pad. The action buttons are smaller and the L2/R2 shoulder buttons feature raised tips. They nestle the fingers into the shoulder buttons, which is nice. The select, start and home buttons are squashed underneath the artwork. The analogue sticks are exactly like the PS3 controller sticks. I did discover that the texture of this controller is rougher. An on/off switch is also on the controller. This is for the Bluetooth capabilities.
As for its function, it works well. The controls are very responsive, although I do feel that the L2/R2 shoulder buttons do need to be forced a little bit more compared to the official Playstation 3 controller. The size of the action buttons is no hindrance, neither is the design of the d-pad. That is until I discovered that it was a little hit and miss for different games. At times, the left analogue stick wouldn’t move my character or the L2/R2 buttons required more of a push when I though it was enough. Outside of that, it works great. Expect 15 hours per charge and a charge time of 3 hours.
Overall
The Call of Duty Black Ops II controller is not a bad controller; in fact it is a great controller. With that said, it does have its hit and miss moments, but not enough to throw the controller around (and I suggest you don’t do that in any circumstance). The black looks slick and I do like the familiarity of the layout of buttons. Overall, I would recommend this controller if you do require another controller for some multiplayer sessions. The asking price (AUD$79.95) will make this controller a hard sell, especially when there are cheaper alternatives out there. You do have time to save up, as this controller will be released on November 13, the same day as Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
Mugen Souls Developer:Compile Heart Publisher:NIS America Platform:PlayStation 3 Release Date: October 16, 2012 Price: $49.99 – Available Here
Overview: Games with a simple and mundane storyline are a dime a dozen nowadays. In fact, even games which focus on fantastical worlds have become quite similar to one another with only a few shining gems every now and then. Now what happens if you were to take everything sane and understandable about your standard RPG storyline and throw it right out the window? Well you may get what NIS America has worked on bringing over to North America, Mugen Souls. Will the crazy and overwhelming aspects of Mugen Souls create a game worth experiencing? We shall see.
Story: The story of Mugen Souls follows a girl named Chou-Chou who claims that she is the Undisputed God of the Universe. As such she announces her plans to conquer each of the seven worlds in the galaxy, each one with a special theme, such as Sun, Moon, Fire etc. Chou-Chou is quite gifted despite knowing little about her past and she possesses the unique ability to not only transform practically anything into a peon, but also the ability to change into eight different forms with various personalities.
Now Chou-Chou isn’t alone on her mission to conquer each of these planets as she is also joined by a boy named Ryuto who became Chou-Chou’s first peon by giving her his air ship and the angelic Altis, a demon girl who was reborn as an angel thanks to the fact that all of her “evil” deeds turned out to be righteous miracles. As Chou-Chou sets her sights on the galaxy, can this girl turn everyone on these planets into her peons and become the true God of the Universe?
While Mugen Souls’ storyline may sound like a strange one at first, since it is rare to find a protagonist ready to conquer the galaxy, but it quickly grows on the player as not is Chou-Chou’s optimistic and egocentric main personality infectious, but all of the characters in the game all have their own unique personality quirks. In fact, players will be hard pressed to guess what will happen next in Mugen Souls thanks to the fact that not only is the story out of this world, the characters are just as overwhelming! Not only do we have a rather perverted Ryuto and the sinister but sincere Altis but players will encounter a number of other strange characters on their journey as well, some just as humorous as the last.
It also helps that the original objective of conquering each planet, while still one of the main goals, is also slightly overshadowed by the mysteries of Chou-Chou’s past and the possibility that another person with the same abilities as her is in the same galaxy. Place interesting characters, an unbelievable plot and plenty of sections that make fun of standard RPG tropes together and you have a story worth playing through for more than just laughs and moe situations.
Visuals: The art style used for Mugen Souls is rather interesting thanks to the fact that all of the characters in the game are presented in chibi-form. This means that as you explore the field, fight in battle and explore your G-Castle, your character will be shown in a chibified state with only minor detail and some rough edges. Enemies are presented normally though most monsters still have various cute aspects about them that help them match the game’s aesthetic style but can also appear rough at times. This chibi character style surprisingly works well given the fact that so many of the character’s attacks and animations are completely over the top and they would appear absolutely ridiculous with realistic proportions.
This chibi style only helps highlight how impressive the character portraits in the game are. Now every time a talking segment appears in the game, the speaking characters’ portraits are presented with high levels of detail and in these segments you can see exactly how the characters look outside of their chibi forms. These portraits are partially animated with minor movements and position changes depending on the emotions being portrayed at the time.
It is worth noting that there are also some impressive CG scenes presented every so often in Mugen Souls. It is worth noting that these scenes often contain some decent levels of fan service though there never is any risk of nudity within the game and steam censorship seems to have increased. Also a one of Chou-Chou’s personality’s name has been replaced with an English equivalent, with tsundere becoming bipolar, though this is relatively minor in the grand scale of the game.
Audio: As with most of NIS America’s releases, Mugen Souls contains both the original Japanese voice track and the new English dub. The Japanese voice track is suitable enough, though using the English dub is highly recommended as the English voice work is impressive. This is especially true when it comes to Chou-Chou’s various forms and the way that her voice changes to more appropriately fit her current personality. It is worth noting that while most scenes are voiced; basic story sequences that aren’t presented with visual novel character portraits are not. It is also worth mentioning that when the player creates a custom Peon of their own, only Japanese voice work is available for these characters.
As far as the game’s soundtrack goes there is a pleasant combination of background music as well as combat music that actually has lyrics to it which is a bit surprising considering most background music for games such as this is only orchestral. That being said, all of the songs in Mugen Souls are J-Pop so if you aren’t a fan of that type of music than perhaps you may disappointed, but for everything else these songs do wonders for the scenes that they play in.
Gameplay: At the most basic level, Mugen Souls is a relatively standard RPG which allows the player to venture out with four party members and take on enemies that are always visible on the world map, not random encounters. When the player enters battle, they will be able to move around the battlefield and attack enemies within their range as each character’s turn to attack arrives. However this is pretty much where Mugen Souls changes from being a standard experience and begins to change into something unlike you have ever played before.
Now while Mugen Souls may have plenty of standard things you can perform in battle such as basic attacks and a number of different skills which vary depending on the type of weapon you equip as well as the character itself, that is where the basicness ends. Whenever you perform a basic attack and one of your teammates’ turns is right after the current character’s it will trigger a “Link Attack.”
These link attacks allow the selected character to team up with one, two or all three of the other party members to perform a combo attack. What makes these combo attacks special is simply how outrageous they are. Not only do they do more damage, but they are some of the craziest things around, with all of the characters either hopping into tanks to shoot bullets at an enemy, slingshotting themselves into an enemy or forming a spiral tower with the enemy that smashes against meteors and into the moon. While these moves are zany and can kill an enemy easily, it is worth noting that their animation sequences are rather long compared to basic attacks and skills, meaning some basic fights can last a lot longer than they should if the player performs multiple link attacks.
Outside of that, there are also crystals which are spread throughout the battlefield which apply various effects to party members and enemies in range. These can be simple bonuses such as higher attack, or negatives like the game ending if the battle isn’t finished fast enough. Interestingly enough, players can perform “Launches” with skills which will send an enemy flying across the battlefield. Launched enemies can be hit into these crystals and when one breaks, the battle will enter Hyper Mode which adds more effects to the field and raises the tension in a battle. It is worth noting that the game does have some slowdown issues in battle, where inputted commands can take a few seconds to activate.
One of the key features to battle in Mugen Souls however is Chou-Chou’s ability to perform “Moe Kills” on enemies. Now Chou-Chou possesses the unique ability to change into multiple personas, each one with a different appearance and personality. With these different personalities she will perform various “Moe” sayings, which if you are an anime fan you will recognize instantly. As you fight against enemies Chou-Chou can try and sway her opponents into becoming her peons or changing into an item, removing them from the fight by playing on their weaknesses. However there is also a chance you can make the enemies even stronger, so Moe attacks quickly become a double edged sword.
Outside of navigating the various worlds that Chou-Chou wishes to conquer, players will also enter into special air ship battles where the player must fight against other space ships in turn based combat. Chou-Chou’s airship, the G-Castle, will gain in strength as you gather more peons so it is worth noting that it is possible to run into a wall if you haven’t performed many moe kills in the past. These air ship fights are pretty simple to understand as various attacks have various effects, such as basic attacks, defense that absorbs enemy attacks, fast attacks to deal minor damage early and so on. These battles are a nice change of pace and can be very unpredictable.
As with most games, Mugen Souls features a rather simplistic central hub in the form of G-Castle and here players can purchase various equipment, dress-up items for their characters, create new peons for use in the party and even take a bath in the “Hot Springs” for a stat boost. The customization options for peons are rather expansive and enjoyable, though I found it better simply to stick with the main cast. As for the Hot Springs, players should note that they were censored in this release and they simply provide the various temporary stat boosts without the Japanese release’s bathing mini-game.
Finally in the G-Castle players can enter the Mugen Field, which is essentially the area that players can grind for levels at an easy rate. The Mugen Field allows the player to fight battles continuously with the occasional boss battle or air ship battle breaking up the normal fights. The Mugen Field also contains a Mugen Store every ten or so levels where the player can purchase special bonuses for their character, increase the level cap or even unlock special abilities. It is worth noting that there are occasionally times that the fighting in the Mugen Field seemed necessary simply so that my party was strong enough to continue the story, so Mugen Souls does contain a fair bit of grinding.
Overall: Mugen Souls a game that, when first seen in Japan, you would never have thought would make it to Western shores. However now that NIS America has brought the title over we can celebrate the fact that the title is not only a great time but it is also one packing some new interesting gameplay mechanics. With only a few issues holding it back, Mugen Souls contains a number of gameplay mechanics that most, if not all, gamers will be experiencing for the very first time in what can easily be called the zaniest game this year.
Netdragon voiced new details today in regards to their latest project Absolute Force Online. Seven playable game modes have been announced for this MMOFPS but the company has yet to reveal if all will be available in the upcoming closed beta towards the end of November.
The first five modes are familiar to FPS scene, they consist of Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Zombie Mode and Squads, Netdragon boasts the other two modes Arsenal and Vehicle to be unique gaming experiences but veteran gamers may disagree. Arsenal Mode resembles a typical gungame mode where players will start with low tier weapons and advance to higher tiers with the more kills they get while Vehicle mode sees players mount fully customizable helicopters and engage in aerial combat, so far only vehicle mode has a set team size restriction made up of five a side.
All modes can be played through either Classic or Exclusive Hero Battlefield, Classic is strictly first person and Exclusive is interchangeable between first and third to suit the preferences of each player.
For more info check out the site Here and stay tuned for further updates.
Take-Two, the publisher of Borderlands 2, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, etc, might be opening new offices in the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas according to some documents between the publishing company and The City of Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency. If they do open a new facility, it would employ a minimum of 150 persons full-time, all of whom would earn a “gross average hourly wage, including overtime, of at least $18 per hour.”
The agreement also states that, in order for Take-Two to be eligible for the (up to) $600,000 in incentives, 15 percent of all full-time employees must be “fuIl time residents within the Agency’s redevelopment area” as well as “members of racial minorities, women, disabled or veterans.”
The purpose of the facility is still uncertain, and whether this could be a new studio or a satellite testing office us unknown. It’s worth noting, however, that while $18 an hour sounds like QA/testing wages, the minimum average that has been stated in the agreement may not be the actual average if this deal is completed.
Nia: Jewel Hunter Developer: Forest Moon Games Publisher: Forest Moon Games Platform: iPhone (reviewed), iTouch, iPad Release Date: October 31, 2012 Price: Free-Available Here
Overview
In Nia: Jewel Hunter, you play as Nia who has been transported to Egypt via elevator in order to find the Jewels that are located over there by going into pyramids and temples. You will have to unlock levels by gaining a certain amount of coins but you will find it all worth it when you see the gorgeous levels since they are in 3-D.
Story
The game over all does not have a story but, there is an overall theme for the game that can count as a story. Just like all great adventurers do at least once in their life time, you travel over to Egypt but with Nia, it was not by choice. She was transported there after she got into an elevator that acted like a teleporter. While Nia is there she is determined to over come treacherous traps, open hidden doors, and collect coins. Doing all of the following mentioned will allow you to collect the bounty of jewels each of the levels contain and then escape the pyramid or temple unharmed and try to return back to where she is from.
Gameplay
The gameplay is one of the many aspects that makes this game great. As you first start off on the first level, you will learn the basics of how the game is played. No, it is not a tutorial level but just a level so you have time to learn the ropes. As you continue and unlock level after level, you will notice that as the level number increases, so does the skill required to complete the level.
The game’s controls are simple and easy to understand. You have two ways to play the game, you can either touch the screen or you can use the buttons that are on the screen (you must switch between the two in the menu at the start of the game). Please note that they are currently warning everyone not to use the touch controls until the 1.1 update is released in order to keep the game from malfunctioning. I personally feel (after using both types of controls) that the buttons work better for the game and I didn’t have any technical issues with the touch controls but, the buttons just felt better for some reason.
In the game, you must collect coins and jewels. The coins actually play a major purpose in the game because they are how you unlock new levels. The great thing about that is that you must go back and replay levels and collect more coins or you might not have enough to progress to the next one. The jewels on the other hand will be collected and placed on an ancient wall. Once you collect all of the jewels, you will unlock the next set of levels that the game contains.
Audio & Visuals
The game graphics are very pleasing. Yes, they may no be as good as some of the games that have been releasing lately on the App Store but, the developers chose good and kept a simpler 3-D design for the game. This goes for both the character and the environments. The look of Nia is cute and interesting overall and she is colored nicely with the purple outfit that she wears. The environments are also pretty good but I feel that some of them could have looked better if they would have included more objects in the background and in the sand.
The games audio fits the environment you are in, with its unique Egyptian sounds that you get from it, you begin to feel that you just like Nia, have been teleported and have landed in Egypt. The game does feature sound effects like when you jump or push a button to open the door and those sound crisp and clear when they are used.
Overall
Overall, Nia: Jewel Hunter is an actual jewel in a bunch of rocks. The game features brilliant graphics, great gameplay which will lead you to having to replay levels (gives it some replay value), and some audio that is really clear and crisp. For only the price of absolutely FREE, I feel that everyone should go and pick up the game right now.
Wreck-It Ralph, star of the recent Disney film that has the same name, can be seen cruising next to Sonic in this Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed trailer.
As you can see above, Mr. Ralph is sporting a signature truck that comes with a big wrecking ball , a very luxurious air boat, and a very classy helicopter! You also will be able to play as some other characters like Sonic (Sonic franchise) and Vyse (Skies of Arcadia).
You can go see Wreck-It Ralph in theaters right now and the game will launch November 18 on Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii U, with Vita and 3DS versions releasing on December 11.
Online multiplayer first-person shooter Ravaged has now released their demo to the public. This demo includes two game modes from the full version and two fully usable maps. With the full game delivering eight huge maps, over 40 vehicles and weapons and some brutal gunplay set in a Post-Apocalyptic World, the demo helps players to experience a taste of the carnage.
Developer 2 Dawn Games has also just released a patch that effects the full retail and demo versions of the game, adding in:
· Dedicated server files for players and clans to host their own games.
· Improved browser filter options.
· Quick Match option (for joining the best server).
· The Liberty map has been added to the demo.
· The demo includes two modes: Capture the Resources (Canyon) and Thrust (Liberty).
· Additional protection has been provided to re-spawning players, including 1) When in the main base, re-spawning players get 15 seconds of “god mode”; 2) There is no protection when main base is final target for opposing team in Thrust.
· Weapon-based vehicles are more balanced.
· The harpoon, crossbow and rocket truck artillery have been balanced.
· The minimum votes for kicking has been adjusted.
· “Spectate” button has been moved.
· Selected weapon highlighting has been fixed.
· Performance optimizations.
The full game is out now on Windows PC for $24.99 or the new demo can be tried absolutely free from Steam! Ravaged features fun driving, crazy melee combat, cool characters and diverse gamemodes all set in a Post-Apocalyptic wasteland! What more could you want?
The action RPG from Soldak, Drox Operative, has had it’s beta patched to 0.929 today. This patch brings with it a bunch of fixes and additions. In addition to this patch, the two newest races to the game have been revealed. These are: Shadow and Humans.
As you can probably guess, the human race is very much human in appearance. They look, well, like us. They’re also really good at economics and expansion. The next race, the Shadow, are much better at being spies and defensive. They look much more like old elven men with wrinkly faces than people.
Desperate Housewives: The Complete Eighth and Final Season Studio: Cherry Alley Productions Publisher: ABC Studios Format: DVD Release Date: 3 October, 2012 Price: $49.98 – Available Here
Overview
Desperate Housewives has had a long and successful run, and is it any surprise? Much like the housewives it represents, it prides itself on being able to be many things at once – a comedy, a drama, a romance, a mystery, so on and so forth. The eighth season has the same range mixed with that quirkiness that is beloved by Desperate Housewives fans. The eighth season is a great send off to a highly successful show, with all the humour, drama and suspense of the first seven seasons.
Story
There’s a certain charm to Desperate Housewives, in the characters, as well as the situations they find themselves in. Desperate Housewives manages to toe that line of having them in dark situations but still somehow finding that comedic beat. That isn’t just the skill of the writers, but the cast – especially in the main four actresses. They perform well individually, as well as with each other, and its in the comfort and surety they have in their characters.
The last season was always guaranteed to have a huge amount of drama, and given the fact that at the end of the previous season Carlos clocked a rape-y Gabby’s step father on the back of the head, it’s no surprise that the housewives spend a good deal of stuck in the middle of super drama. No thanks to an extremely vengeful police department who decided to put the girls in their crosshairs.
The season has so many different story lines and arcs that it seamlessly moves through, the most of which has to do with Bree. She goes through such drastic character changes through the last season, not only from beginning to end but in the middle as well. Marcia Cross handles these changes expertly and entirely seamlessly.
Another big character change was in Gabrielle, who becomes the provider for the family by the end of the season. Her and Carlos’ marriage has undergone some serious renovation and by season’s end they turn the tables on their established relationship from the first seven seasons. It’s nice to see them reach a place where they find what works for them and have come to terms with their marriage and made it work.
Lynette and Tom struggle with their separation, but being Lynette and Tom, they do manage to find their way back to each other. And considering the fact that it is Lynette and Tom, it makes you cheer when they do.
Lastly, Susan. Out of the main four she suffers the most unfortunate storyline. I won’t go into it, but it really makes you feel for her, and Desperate Housewives pulls off something you never thought they’d do. And it manages to not get annoying, but instead the angst and naturally depressing nature of the storyline I tempered well with the innate humour of the show.
There is some mirroring of the first season, especially in the finale of the series. It’s nice to have that nostalgia, especially for people who have been following the show since it’s inception. In fact, it might even lead to you brushing off the first season and looking back on how far they’ve come.
Visuals/Audio
Desperate Housewives is, as always, looking great with impeccable styling. The neighbourhood is a character of it’s own right, as it always has been, and the way that it’s shot helps keep it that way. The set dressing is wonderfully done, and the cinematography is great.
The incidental music and soundtrack works really well, as it always has, and it never overdoes the music or underdoes it. It does well at emphasizing moments, as well as improving the humorous moments.
Extras
The special features included in the DVD have a few of the deleted scenes, bloopers, and featurettes about wrapping up the end of the series. It’s nice to see the end of series through the eyes of the cast and crew, and it’s really sweet. Especially since, like their characters, the actors have evolved over the course of the show.
Overall
Desperate Housewives is an ultimately entertaining and has a cast of characters that we have all come to know and love. Even though it has had eight seasons, they’ve still managed to keep it interesting and different – with some continuing character development that will draw you right on in.
It’s easy to fly right through the season, and you might find yourself having a bit of a marathon with the show.
Take-Two, the publisher of Borderlands 2, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, etc, might be opening new offices in the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas according to some documents between the publishing company and The City of Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency. If they do open a new facility, it would employ a minimum of 150 persons full-time, all of whom would earn a “gross average hourly wage, including overtime, of at least $18 per hour.”
