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Space Disorder dated for October 11th

Bulkypix partnered up with indie developer Mi-Clos Studio for a new physics based platformer called Space Disorder. The game features physics based puzzles, colourful cartoon graphics, Retina support, and randomly generated levels.

Players will need to help Noah free his lover Zanita along with 30+ unique armless alien prisoners who have been captured. Noah will need grenades, lasers, control over gravity, rare power ups, and his trusty jetpack to free Zanita and the alien prisoners.

Space Disorder is a freemium game and will be released onto the iTunes App Store on October 11th, 2012. The game will be free to download and regular updates with new planets and playable characters are scheduled.

Paul Bearer and Ricardo Rodriguez join WWE ’13!

If you’re a big a fan of WWE, you know that being a manager is about far more than signing contracts and accompanying your Superstars to ringside. Fittingly, THQ and WWE Games have announced today that their new game, WWE ’13, will feature Alberto Del Rio’s personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez, as well as the legendary manager, Paul Bearer.

WWE Games caught up with the urn-holder himself for an extended talk about his time as an actual mortician, the evolving role of a manager in WWE, his favourite managers in history, favourite “Attitude Era” moments and even his take on some of today’s most popular WWE Superstars.

Check out the full story at WWE.THQ.com to find out which Superstar Paul Bearer ranks above John Cena and see some exclusive new screenshots of Bearer and Rodriguez in action.

Make sure to follow WWE Games on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest on WWE ’13, on sale October 30th, or check out all the latest WWE ’13 videos on the official WWE Games YouTube channel.

Blade Guardian Review


Blade Guardian

Developer: MISTWALKER CORPORATION
Publisher: MISTWALKER CORPORATION
Platform: iPhone (reviewed), iTouch, iPad
Release Date: October 1, 2012
Price: $0.99 – Available Here

Overview

This being the second iOS game from Mistwalker Corporation, they decided to go a little RTS with it, smart choice. Blade Guardian is a game where you must set up a variety of units, that all have different capabilities, so you can be a hero and stop an alien invasion. In the game you will take advantage of a special unit called, BLADEs. You release these as they fly onto the screen and then they will do some serious damage. You then have  special ones that can transform into the shape of a spear and you can role them around your screen, crushing the alien threat.

Story

There is no actual story to the game but there are some objectives you need to complete, defend and destroy. This being an RTS game, there could have been at least a small little scroll through of text every now and then. Now though this maybe the case, they make up for it in the diverseness of levels.

Gameplay

The game brings something many iOS RTS games have tried bringing but, all have failed with. ‘What is it?’ You may be asking yourself. The answer, the actual feeling of an RTS! You have to lay down walls, build mounted weapons on the walls, create wall connectors, and so on. They make this feel right due to the different placements of where you set them on your map. They even give you a limited are to place them in which results in you having to get more crafty and strategic as you make your way through the game.

The BLADEs are also what make up a big part of the game. The BLADEs are special units you release these as they fly onto the screen and then release them from their holding so they can do some serious damage. You have a variety of BLADEs at your disposal so you can choose from the sphere blade (which will allow you to tilt and turn your screen to crush the alien threat) to automated ground based blades.

Variety, that is one word that describes the levels of the game. You will never play the same level twice which and they all take a different look and shape. I remember how at one point I went from a standard rectangle level, to a level that looked like it was shaped like a heart. This wide difference of levels make me want to keep on coming back to the game.

Visuals

The games graphics are simple and to the point. This is a nice change since most games that are releasing lately are all 3-D and graphically unstable. As I would play through the game, I would notice no lag or glitches whatsoever so I give them props on creating a game that can withstand the limit’s the device has.

Audio

This is actually my favorite part of the game. When you boot up the game and get to the title screen, you hear one of the greatest themes you will hear in your life time! The theme has a nice mix of science fiction with a little touch of classical. The only thing that saddens me about this is that they do not include it anywhere else but at the games launch title.

The sound effects for the game is equally good. I love hearing the sound when I launch a wall or hear my lazer kill another alien.

The game also includes a feature of sound that I have never really seen before in any other title, rumble functionality. If you are not able to stop the aliens from getting to the base objective then you will feel a small vibration which will actually come to be felt more and more as the amount of aliens will become more and more after every wave so it will be harder to defend.

Overall

Mistwalker have created a great RTS game for iOS. Whether you’re a fan of the simple visuals, the thrilling gameplay, or the sound, there is something here for everyone to enjoy. The only thing I wish they would have added into the game though is a story but, it can easily go unnoticed. Now that it has all been said and done, you can go pick up the game right now from the app store for only 99 cents!

8-5-capsules-out-of-10

FIFA 13 iOS Review

FIFA 13
Developer: EA Games
Publisher: EA Games
Platforms: iPhone (reviewed), iPad, iPod Touch
Release Date: September 26, 2012
Price: $6.99 (HERE)

Overview

Another year and another football season rolls around. With it comes the obligatory, hugely successful release of a new FIFA game… but we can’t always be home on our consoles, enjoying the fine new entry in the series. In comes FIFA 13 for iOS, for all your portable football needs! Is this soccer sim on par with its console cousin, or does it belong in the heap of app store trash?

Gameplay

If you played FIFA 12 on iOS, then what you’re getting is essentially the same thing, but with a slick coat of polish in this year’s entry. That’s not to say there’s been no changes, but they are fairly few and far between. Oh, and if you’re expecting a direct port from the console versions to your mobile, turn away now. There’s no Matchday, Player Impact Engine, or any of that forward-thinking nonsense here. In fact, if anything, FIFA 13 on iOS really reminds me of FIFA 07 on Xbox.

In case you were confused, when I said “nonsense” above, I meant really cool stuff. At least some of which should be imported to the mobile version of the game. I mean, how hard could it really be to replicate Matchday and add in player form to the game’s online component?

Oh well, at least EA’s FIFA social network is thrown in.

What you get on your iDevice is a bare bones version of FIFA, and if you’re playing on a device that’s not the iPad, expect the control buttons to take up a lot of the real estate on screen. For all their clunkiness, the way the individual buttons are used to perform various actions is quite creative: holding the pass button down will turn a simple pass into a lobbed ball, swiping up on the shoot button will initiate a chipped shot, and you’ll perform more and more of these specialized moves as you familiarize with the controls. However, the most effective way to score does seem to be to just pound a shot in from just outside the box, as goalkeepers in the game are fairly… erm.. bad.

So that’s much the same as in FIFA 12’s iOS iteration. A new skill moves control button has been added to allow your players to perform special tricks, like nifty turns, fake-outs, etc. To be honest, it’s a rather useless addition as the player movements are fairly clunky (with a virtual analogue stick how could they not be?) and as such, all but the simplest of tricks have very little practical application. You won’t be scoring with rabonas or volleying rainbow flicks with any regularity.

Career mode is very reminiscent of the older FIFAs. At the start of the season you choose a season-long sponsor who funds you based on your performances, and your aim is finish the season with a positive bank account balance, while at the same time trying to improve your trainers, stadium, and brining in talent from other clubs. You then proceed through the fixtures of the season in whatever League you’ve chosen. Oddly, in my review build, the EPL 2012/13 season did not actually reflect real-life fixtures, which kind of broke the illusion. That being said, Career mode, though not utterly different from last year’s iteration, is much easier to navigate as the UI in between matches has been much improved. Everything is neatly organized, and you’ll have no trouble working on your starting 11, improving your club’s facilities, working out the financials, or navigating between your scouts, transfer prospects, and youth players.

Essentially, FIFA 13 on iOS is FIFA 12 on iOS with a brand new coat of varnish. It’s a slicker, easier-to-use experience, but at its core it remains very much the same, which isn’t horrible. However, if you go in expecting “precision controls” (as touted on the game’s entry on the App Store), you’ll be fairly disappointed. The basic gameplay shares it all with FIFA 12: it’s a solid soccer experience on a portable device, but it does not come even close to a sim. Consider it more like the console FIFA’s aracade-y cousin that has some fairly regular control issues.

Audio & Visual

Visually, FIFA 13 doesn’t look much better than FIFA 12 did, and to be honest, that was pretty bad to begin with. What’s extremely odd is how some players will looks remarkably like their real counterparts, while others may well be another person altogether. Take Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud and Mikel Arteta sporting a moustaches in-game, whereas they have never actually had them in real life.

On top of that, games like Infinity Blade have shown us all how good games can look on iOS platforms, and FIFA 13’s stadiums are far less expansive environments than anything in that game. I’d much rather play a FIFA with a slightly stylized art style if it means I don’t have to look at another blocky, sameish-looking character again. I’m not saying I expect FIFA to look like Infinity Blade, that’s asking a bit much, but surely the developers could have squeezed out a bit more out of the processing power of the various iDevices.

The game’s sound design features much better. The soundtrack is thankfully relatively dubstep free, and is actually quite spectacular. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that many of the songs now feature on my workout mix. The sounds of the ball being hit don’t sound all that great, in fact they’re fairly unrealistic, but everything else in-match is fairly solid. Crowd chants in particular ring out clearly and the commentary is crisp and clear, if a bit repetitive.

Overall

Altogether, FIFA 13 is not a bad experience. I hate to trash the game’s control because the developers are really doing their best on a platform which really doesn’t lend itself well to precision, but be warned: if you expect a realistic soccer simulation on your phone, then this will be as close as you get, but it sure ain’t great. Maybe it’s time the iOS FIFA team simply dropped the moniker of football sim on the portable and went for a more arcade-like experience in all aspects of the game (including visual presentation). That direction would lend itself very well to the platform, and the little things that just don’t fly at the moment would be fairly easy to gloss over.

Regardless, if you really want a FIFA on the go, and you don’t own FIFA 12 on your portable device, then this is the best experience as you’ll find on the app store. If you do own FIFA 12 on your iMabob, then consider this one pass of the franchise that you don’t have to intercept.

7-0-capsules-out-of-10

Hunter x Hunter Episode 49 Impressions


Welcome to my weekly Hunter x Hunter episode impressions.  This week, I go through episode 49 of the 2011 version of Hunter x Hunter. What did I think of the episode? Watch below to find out.

Got any questions for Anime Say? You can send me a tweet on my official twitter or alternatively drop me an email at [email protected]. I will do my best to respond to your tweets and emails as well as try read some out on the show.

What do you think of this episode impression? Let us know in the comments section below.

Follow Luke on Twitter: @LAHalliday

Like us on Facebook: Anime Say!

Hitman Absolution 18min Playthrough Released

The guys over at Square-Enix have released a near 20minute video of Hitman Absolution. The video also includes a directors commentary from Tore Blystad and Travis Barbour who are the games director and community members respectively.

This video showcases the new online mode Contracts, which is for the online multiplayer portions of the game. This new mode allows players to set their own contracts, with targets, weapons and witnesses all available to customise.

Hitman Absolution is set to be released on the 20th of November, 2012 for the PC, Xbox 360, and playstation 3 consoles. Be sure to check out the trailer embedded below for more info.

SKET Dance Episode 77 Impressions – Final Episode


Welcome to my weekly SKET Dance episode impressions.  This week, I go through the final episode of the crazy comedy anime that is SKET Dance. What did I think of the episode? Watch below to find out.

Got any questions for Anime Say? You can send me a tweet on my official twitter or alternatively drop me an email at [email protected]. I will do my best to respond to your tweets and emails as well as try read some out on the show.

What do you think of this episode impression? Let us know in the comments section below.

Follow Luke on Twitter: @LAHalliday

Like us on Facebook: Anime Say!

Forza Horizon Launch Trailer, Demo coming October 9th

Microsoft and Turn10 Studios have released the official launch trailer for the hotly anticipated Xbox 360 exclusive racing game Forza Horizon.

Alongside this launch trailers release comes the news that Microsoft will launch a demo of the game on the Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace on the 9th of October, 2012. That’s right fans of the Forza series will be able to get their hands on the game in the downloadable demo come the 9th.

You can check out the official launch trailer for Forza Horizon below. Be sure to let us know what you think of Forza Horizon and the launch trailer in the comments section.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown Interactive Trailer Released

Today 2k released an interactive trailer for the upcoming XCOM: Enemy Unknown video game releasing on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. This trailer plays like one of those old choose your own adventure novels of the past, only it’s with pre-recorded footage as opposed to a purely text based affair.

In this trailer, players are tasked with making some tactical decisions based on the scenario presented. This means that thinking a little tactically is required here. Of course, you could just chance it, or go over it multiple times to see what happens.

Be sure to check out the trailer embedded below or at this link.

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is a Reality; First Trailer Revealed

Giana Sisters is a franchise a few of you may be familiar with, as the original title attracted both praise and controversy for being a lot like a certain mustached plumber. Well, after a successful Kickstarter, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is now a reality and ready to land on the PC October 23rd, with a later release planned for the XBLA and PSN come early 2013.

Here is a brief description of what we can expect to see in this lovely little platformer:

Fluffy clouds and rainbows – what a nightmare! Being trapped in a lollipop world infuriates Giana, driving her to smash everything in her path… but the walls between dreams are thin. A tenebrous boneyard lurks just beyond the veil, soothing Giana’s temper and lightening her step. Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is a phantasmagorical platformer with contrasting themes. Twist one dream into another at will to transform the world and Giana, putting an array of world-warping tricks at your fingertips.

Underscored with music jointly created by Chris Hülsbeck and Machinae Supremacy, the game features classic Giana and chiptune metal fluidly intermingling as you twist the dream world to your whim.

As you can tell by the screenshots below, this game is looking stunning thus far, and quite refreshing compared to the more recent indie platformers as of late. Check out the official trailer down south for yourselves and take notes, as this is how you rebirth a franchise.