Gentlemen! Star your engines! Codemasters has launched the first gameplay trailer for F1 Race Stars out of the gate. The game is a family friendly kart style racing game featuring licensed Formula One cars, teams, and circuits with a kart gaming twist. Players will drive on tracks full of loop the loops, hair pin turns, barrel rolls, speed boosts, traps, and power ups. The all important pit stop is included as players will needed to manage car damage.
The family friendly game features four player split screen access and 12 player multiplayer gaming across three consoles. Prefer to race alone? Players will be able to compete in an extensive career mode and participate in Codemaster’s RaceNet community. F1 Racing Stars will be available for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and the Windows PC on November 18th, 2012.
Ubisoft released two new trailers for Far Cry 3 today. The first trailer is called The Tyrant: Hoyt. Players will get a chance to meet Hoyt, the insane villain who rules over the island and the drug trade on it. There are plenty of in game footage from cut scenes and some actual game play. The trailer does a great job showing off the sadistic villainous side of Hoyt.
Next up is the open world walkthrough of Far Cry 3. This thirteen minute walkthrough has commentary from Mark Thomson, the lead level designer, and Jamie Keen, the lead game designer. The video is full of gameplay footage, showing off some of the jumping puzzles, the giant expanse of the island, the combat, and the hunting and crafting mechanics.
Far Cry 3 is slated for release on November 29th in Europe and Australia, November 30th for the UK, and December 4th for North America.
It’s that time of the year where we all pay tribute to monsters, vampires, and other creatures of the night, and Konami are celebrating with a sale on the PSN. From 24th October, users will be able to buy Castlevania: Harmony of Despair and Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Aloneplus their add-ons, and all DLC for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for half normal price.
This sale also includes the DLC for the three titles, including Zombie Apocalypse’s: Never Die Alone’s ‘Pure Pwnage Pack’, and the four additional Castlevania: Harmony of Despair levels, including ‘Legend of Fuma’ and ‘Origins’, plus all four additional character packs. Similarly, the two Castlevania: Lords of Shadow packs – Resurrection and Reverie – are also available. Hurry now, as this offer is seasonal only and is sure to be gone soon.
Glu Mobile has released the sequel to the hit mobile game Contract Killer. Contract Killer 2 brings back all the classic features of the first game and adds the new melee gameplay. New weapons such as tasers, throwing knives, and hand grenades are all available to players for dispatching the enemies in the most efficient method possible.
Contract Killer 2 features first person sniper missions, third person assault missions, over a hundred unique challenges, upgradable weapons, and Game Center achievements and leaderboards. Players can check out the game for free on the iTunes App Store hereor the Google Play Store here.
Max Payne fans who have been suffering from glitches are in luck, as Rockstar released a new update that fixes a few minor issues within Max Payne 3, right before next week’s release of the Hostage Negotiation Pack.
Fixes include:
General improvements to multiplayer, improving overall stability and matchmaking efficiency
Added the option to copy one of your Loadouts into an empty custom slot
Fixed an issue where wins and losses were reported incorrectly on leaderboards
Fixed an issue where explosive kills were not working as intended in Arcade Mode
Fixed an issue where newly created Crews and Emblems would not always appear in-game
Fixed an issue where dual wielding the PT92 and .38 revolver and firing until the ammunition runs out could cause the weapons to jam
This update is now available for the Xbox360 and PS3 version of the game, with PC soon to follow.
It’s nice to see Max Payne’s continued support from Rockstar, and it seems we are now winding down with this releases content with these fixes and the DLC coming soon.
As the exact date of the release is announced for the 3DS Sherlock Holmes game, Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Frozen City, it may come as quite a shock to find out that the release date is none other than today!
With the city of London more or less completely frozen over, it falls to Sherlock Holmes to deduct just what or whom is causing the terrible snowstorm. Lead Sherlock on a case to save the entire city exclusively for the 3DS.
Players interested in learning a bit more about this particular case can find a bit of information from the gallery of new screenshots below, showing the game in action. But, for a more in-depth look at everything going on in the game to get a better sense of it before rushing off to get it, can find plenty of information in the website for Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Frozen CityHERE.
There are almost three hundred games in the EA Mobile library that are iPad ready. EA Mobile has been busy at work ensuring compatibility with the upcoming iPad Mini and the 4th Generation iPad. “The iPad line-up opens up greater opportunity for us to push the boundaries of mobile games,” commented Bernard Kim, SVP of EA Mobile & Social Publishing. “We’re especially excited about games such as the upcoming Real Racing 3 which will feature dynamic reflections and time shifted multiplayer and is going to shine on the 4th generation iPad and the new iPad mini.”
EA Mobile is also hard at work preparing new games to take full advantage of the 4th generation iPad’s beefier new hardware. The first game slated for release will be Need for Speed Most Wanted.
Have you ever wanted to be on the cover of your own game. Well, now you sorta can with WWE Games new “BE ON THE COVER” Facebook app. All you have to do is simply upload a photo, do a little bit of doctoring, and share your creation with the world.
Instructions are as follows:
Step 1: Import a photo from a personal Facebook gallery or take an instant photo using a webcam.
Step 2: Position the photo in the provided frame, which includes the WWE ’13 logo.
Step 3: Edit the image as desired using eraser and brush tools.
Step 4: Select a platform preference – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system or Wii
Step 5: Choose how to show off the created cover artwork:
Share the image with friends on Facebook Create a unique Facebook timeline cover photo and profile photo Save and print the image file – then insert into a WWE ’13 game cover for a whole new look
An interesting little promotion to hold all of you WWE fans over until WWE ’13 hits stores. Just go to http://facebook.com/wwegames to get your cover on now.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown Publisher: 2k Games Developer:Firaxis Platform:PC (Reviewed), Playstation 3, Xbox 360 Release Date: October 12, 2012 Price: $49.99 (BUY HERE)
Overview
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is the long awaited reboot of the X-Com franchise that has been around since the early 90s. The franchise began its life as a tactical squad based strategy game and after some shifts in developers and publishers started to lose sight of what made itself so great.
However, this reboot of the franchise takes the game back to its roots as a tactical strategy game which both suit the game and pleases fans. However, is this game as good as its predecessor? Read on to see what I think.
Story
In XCOM: Enemy Unknown, you take on the role of the Commander of the XCOM organisation. XCOM is an international threat response team designed to take on extraterrestrial threats as they appear across the globe. This means that across the course of the game, players will be fighting against alien threats around the globe.
Interestingly the game appears to be really light on actual story. For instance, I’m not entirely sure if the game is randomly generating missions or if there is some kind of script determining when and where missions appear. Generally speaking, players choose the option to scan for threats and this speeds up time until some kind of event triggers or a threat is located.
However, there do seem to be some kinds of compulsory missions that appear from time to time. For instance, it is your job to actually be rid of the alien threat and your science team will often request for you to collect specific aliens or obtains specific items to work towards ending the threat. There are also missions from the UN council that appear from time to time which might have you protecting a UN delegate or sending over supplies.
So obviously, whilst the game is light on story content, it is actually more of your own story about how you went about taking on the alien threat. I actually prefer this kind of storytelling method in my games, so this is a huge plus for this title.
Gameplay
As I’ve already stated, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a tactical strategy game involving a squad of units. What’s cool about this is that it is also turn-based, which gives you time to think and plan out your moves, as opposed to having to adapt in real time.
Generally speaking, any game that has you taking turns is often immersion defying in my experience. With XCOM, this was not the case. Not once did I not feel like what I was doing was un-immersive. It just felt incredibly right for this title, heck it even felt more right than the originals did (although, that might just be because I’m a product of a different era).
XCOM: Enemy Unknown really makes you feel like the leader of an organisation by giving you the responsibilities that a Commander would likely have (it’s probably less considering it’s a game, but the point is that it feels that way) if they were in this situation. As the Commander you have many obligations to take care of, not only to your own organisation, but also to your UN Benefactors. These take many forms but in regards to the UN, this comes in the form of Threat.
The way threat works in XCOM: Enemy Unknown is that for every action you fail to take, a corresponding countries threat will increase. However, you wont have the resources to take on every challenge, nor does the game let you. So this not only becomes a game of squad management, but it also becomes one of political management.
Another way the game has you feeling like a Commander is where you have to determine the layout of your base. Over the course of the game, you’ll get access to resources to expand your base and gain valuable perks for doing so. For instance, building more science labs will allow you to research new technology at a quicker pace whilst building more Satellite Room thingies will allow you to deploy more satellites to keep UN Partners happy and safe.
The final obvious method of making the player feel like they’re in control of an organisation is through the direct management of agents that can and will die forever. This is as simple as equipping them for battle and then ranging to something as complex as taking control of their movements in combat. What hits you with this is that your actions can lead directly to the death of your units. This is painful in that not only are you made to deal with the consequences of your own lack of intelligence but you will also lose that unit forever. Sure they can be replaced with time and effort spent in other units, but they’ll never be the same.
Overall I’d have to say that from a gameplay perspective, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is the perfect example of a tactical-strategy game. Anyone picking this title up will become hooked.
Visuals
Aesthetically speaking, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is incredibly good. There’s just something about the game that carries this feel of excellence. It really feels like an alien invasion from a visual premise and this is shown not only through the alien opposition, but in your own units as well. Heck, the aesthetic is even carried across the environments and objects.
The visual style isn’t one that I’d call realistic, some things like weapons are much larger than they need to be and the male units look way too bulky. But for XCOM: Enemy Unknown, it works. I think it’s important for the rebooted franchise to carry its own aesthetics rather than relying too much on its predecessors to carry it because it really needs to feel like its own thing. And it does, so the design choice has worked.
Audio
XCOM: Enemy Unknown really knows how to use its audio as a strength. Everything about this games audio properly reflects the games overall design. You can tell this quickly just from listening to the themes that play whilst going through your turn, or whilst in combat. Even the weapons carry a kind of brunt that would be missing from most other games.
What I mean with that is that when you start to use Laser and later Plasma weaponry you can really hear the alien influence in their design. The beams sound heavy, the beams sound dangerous and most importantly, they sound different to the norm.
I just can not sing more praise for the audio portions of XCOM. Even the dialogue carries along this aesthetically alien feel. For instance, the shadowy figure that you deal with throughout most of the game has this really voice that really sounds dark and mysterious. There’s just much going on with this games audio that you’d simply have to agree with me that it fits really quite well.
Overall
Overall XCOM: Enemy Unknown is THE PERFECT tactical-strategy turn-based squad game for the moment. It is clearly evident that the team behind this game knew not only what made an XCOM game great, but also what needed to be changed to make it better. They have somehow turned a predominantly FPS gamer into a massive fan and if they can do that to me, chances are the team behind this game might be the saviours that gaming has been in need of for the past 7 years.
Star Driver Collection 1 Studio:BONES Publisher:Madman Entertainment Format:DVD (Subtitles Only) Release Date:September 5, 2012 Price:$59.95 – Available Here
Overview:
Have you ever considered what the mecha classic Gurren Lagann would be like if it were aimed towards girls? Well you don’t need to wonder anymore as we now have the answer. It would be Star Driver, a very Gurren Lagann inspired mecha series with one crucial difference. It is the complete opposite of Gurren Lagann.
In Gurren Lagann strength comes from believing in ones self and all the manly bravura that comes along with it. Star Driver however is the opposite, strength comes from being a pretty boy. Why? Because girls like pretty boys, I think?
Now this wouldn’t really be a bad thing if it all came together and made for an enjoyable viewing experience, unfortunately Star Driver shoots for the stars but unlike Gurren Lagann it never pierces the heavens.
Story:
The plot of Star Driver is as utterly ridiculous as it is preposterous. The series revolves around Takuto the fabled Galactic Pretty Boy (Ginga Bishonen) as he pilots a mech called a cybody in an alternate dimension all the while attending school on some island off the coast of Japan. Now this could work but the problem with Star Driver is that it does not understand balance. It has so many different things that it is trying to do and be, but never can do or be any of them at the same time.
The foremost issue with Star Driver is that it really is intensely nonsensical. This would be okay if it didn’t take itself seriously or if it was at the very least self-aware but it isn’t. Instead it takes its ridiculous premise and 1 dimensional characters dead seriously, resulting in an overwhelming amount of cheesy nonsense that amounts to little more than an impressive visual showing. In fact if it wasn’t for the excellent animation and visuals, Star Driver would be unwatchable. Everything is just so over-the-top and not in a good way, it’s way too cheesy and doesn’t make a lick of coherent sense.
Characters are not developed whatsoever, have no definable personality traits and their motivations are non-existent. Why is this character doing this? Well because the plot requires them to. The biggest offender of this is the main protagonist Takuto, who essentially exists merely as a plot device to move one scene to the next. His actions are often completely illogical and make about as much sense the over convoluted plot.
Now not all is bad here, as I did mention the animation is great and the action scenes are well choreographed. But ultimately you watch a show such as this not to see pretty pictures with no substance, unfortunately that is what Star Driver amounts to. There is very little substance here and there is too heavy a reliance on the pretty boy aspect. I was left confused as to why being a pretty boy makes him somehow super powerful. There was no real apparent reason why this is the case, and explanations of why he is so powerful make very little sense regardless.
The plot from start to finish on this collection is just a haphazard mess with too much convolution, overwhelming amount of characters that add nothing to the plot, characters that exist only as plot devices, completely unbalanced and illogical story-telling and overuse of pretty boy transformation scenes that are only there to waste some time.
If you are looking for a deep plot that will engage you, Star Driver has nothing of the sort and it’s a damn shame because the concept is somewhat promising, but it is so fatally executed that it never gets the wheels moving anywhere interesting.
Visuals and Audio:
In terms of Star Driver’s visuals and soundtrack, it succeeds with ease. While the story and characters in this series are incredibly weak, the animation is superb and the art style is incredibly appealing. The cybody battles in the other dimension always make for visual delights and the characters are well designed. Unfortunately this series is all style over substance.
The soundtrack is great here with a lot of memorable tracks. The opening theme song is catchy and relatively addictive, while the ending theme is fine and all but seems a little off in terms of atmosphere.
All in all if you are looking for a visually and aurally impressive series, Star Driver is hard to beat, but there is just no real substance which ultimately causes it all to fall apart.
Extras:
Special features on the collection of Star Driver are in relatively low quantity with only a clean opening and ending alongside some trailers. This is a little disappointing considering that this release does not even have an English audio track, so you are already only getting a half-baked product as it is. I have said many times in the past that subtitle only releases are a double edged sword as they are great to get releases faster but they are bad because it excludes the casual viewer that wants to watch in their native language. Hopefully collection 2 of Star Driver will include more special features as this is really the bare minimum here.
Overall:
Star Driver is an interesting experiment, but in the end, a failed one. It tries to take mecha action and make it appeal to the female demographic but in doing so it dumbs itself down to an immense degree and treats its viewers like idiots. I’m not sure whether BONES thought that women were only interested in pretty boys doing magical transformation sequences and fan service scene after fan service scene, but this series is really insulting to not just women’s intelligence but anyone’s intelligence. It really lacks any form of coherency and exists as little more than a visual feast for the brain dead. Star Driver shoots for the stars and crashes and burns under the weight of it’s own nonsense. This one is only for those looking for something visually appealing, if you want even a half decent plot and cast of characters, I suggest you look elsewhere because Star Driver will drive you away before it’s opening theme even plays.
As the exact date of the release is announced for the 3DS Sherlock Holmes game, Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Frozen City, it may come as quite a shock to find out that the release date is none other than today!
