Brain training games certainly aren’t a new thing for computer games, however when one is called Mensa Academy then that’s usually when you sit up and notice. Mensa Academy gives players their Mensa Academy score and allows them to improve it in Play, Coach and Test modes.
There are five disciplines available, Numeracy, Language, Logic, Memory and Visual, and over a hundred replayable levels across the board. For further training players can go into Coach mode which hones their abilities and assesses their progress before taking on the Test, where you will see how you measure up according to Mensa.
Wii players can take on others in a multiplayer mode, while iOS users can share out their score certificate over social networking, email and SMS. Just in case you wanted to rub it in someone’s face.
Mensa Academy will be available on July 27, 2012 for the Wii, 3DS and PC. It will also be made available in the future for iOS, HD and Android products. For more information on Mensa Academy go to their site HERE.
Some of you may remember that one of the pre-order bonuses for Borderlands 2 happened to be a whole new class called the mechromancer. Since the new female class was revealed however, no information was given about the character except that she would be coming sometime after the game is released and will be free to those who pre-ordered the title.
Well, GearBox is still keeping any details about the class rather tight-lipped but they did announce today that the class is currently being worked on and that gamers can expect to see her as free DLC to anyone who is a member of the Borderlands 2 Premiere Club about two to three months after release. With the game’s release on September 18th, the finalized content for the main disc has already been sent out for certification, though that doesn’t mean that it has gone gold quite yet. So perhaps it is time to hold your breath and hope for no delay?
With the Olympic Games in London due to come out soon its no surprise that SimCity is getting in on the spirit, with the SimCity Championships. Before the official Summer Olympics begin SimCity Social will have you competing in games of your own, which means you’ll have to whip your citizens into shape.
You can train your Sims at any of your local venues like the basketball court or stadium, and if this isn’t enough sport for you then don’t worry you’ll also be able to build new sports venues. Go on missions to collect as many athletic collectibles as you can, including spirit, stamina, skill, speed, or strength. Each of these collectibles puts you one step closer to winning the gold!
Once you think you’re ready to take other people on then invite your friends to compete to see who the ultimate SimCity Championships winner is and receive XP and coins for taking home gold, silver or bronze medals.
So go get your Olympic spirit on now!
Don’t play SimCity Social yet? Well you can play it HERE for FREE on Facebook!
Armitage III: The Complete Saga Studio:AIC Publisher: FUNimation Release Date:July 24, 2012 Price:$29.99 – Available Here
Overview: There are many anime that can be called classics of their genre and deserve to be remembered for years to come. As such FUNimation has re-released numerous series under their Anime Classics label. These Anime Classic releases usually contain everything available for a series in one package and it has never been more evident than their most recent release, Armitage III.
Many of us have seen Armitage III in either bits and pieces in the past or in its full movie-format, as it was first brought over to North America and shown on television back in the 1990’s. What many of us may not have realized at the time was that Armitage III was originally a set of separate OVA’s that eventually were combined into one movie. This movie was followed up with a sequel in 2004 and now FUNimation has bundled everything Armitage III related into one release. Does this classic deserve a spot on your shelf?
Story: In the future humans have colonized Mars and they did so with the help of what was called “First Type” robots which were able to transform the inhospitable planet into one safe for humans to live on. Many years after the colonization of Mars, the planet is bustling with activity and populated by many humans as well as “Second Type” robots which look almost human and have many human-like functions. However tension has been rising on Mars as these robots have begun taking over jobs as the planet itself begins to languish from low birth-rates.
Our story follows a police officer from Chicago named Ross Sylibus who has transferred to Mars in an effort to escape from his past, a past haunted with memories of his loved one being killed by a robot. When he lands however, things quickly escalate as it is discovered that a woman who was aboard the plane was murdered. The only problem is… this woman was a very famous country singer but she also is revealed to be a new type of robot that no one has ever seen before… a “Third Type.”
As Sylibus attempts to discover the reason for this Third Type’s killer he meets with his new partner, a fiery female officer by the name of Naomi Armitage. The only problem with this parternship is… Armitage herself is a cyborg and in-fact a Third Type herself. Now with the residents of Mars rioting and hunting down any Third Type they find and a number of dangerous men attempting to kill Armitage, can Sylibus and Armitage discover the truth behind her origin?
It is worth noting that although there are three actual inclusions in this release, the second inclusion in the Armitage III: The Complete Saga is actually simply a repackaged and trimmed version of the aforementioned OVAs. Armitage III: Poly-Matrix follows the storyline of the OVAs nearly down to the letter, with only a few minor inconsequential differences throughout the movie. As such viewers will most likely be eager to jump into Armitage: Dual-Matrix.
A number of years after the events of the OVAs, a robotic facility which has begun researching “Third Type” androids once again on Earth has been destroyed and every human on both Mars and Earth have begun calling tragedy the “First Error.” With the memories of the Third Types who died streamed into her mind, Armitage must reveal the true reason for this massacre and uncover the mastermind behind it while also protecting those close to her.
The entire Armitage III series brings up a question that many people struggle with today and one that has since been brought up multiple times in anime years later. Where does the line between a mechanical being and a living creature lie? With the Third Types being developed nearly identically to humans and capable of the same emotions as humans, is it right to treat them simply as objects or are they just as human as you and me?
Armitage III tackles this difficult question and offers a story of overcoming one’s past prejudices and accepting those around you. Now it is worth noting that the storyline can tend to be a bit confusing at times but nearly everything is explained well enough that viewers should be able to understand what is happening or at least will at a later time.
Visuals: Now when Armitage III was first animated it was 1995 so therefore the techniques used for the OVAs as well as the re-released Armitage III: Poly-Matrix are obviously quite dated. What is interesting however is that these older visuals actually stand up better to Dual-Matrix which was created back in 2002, a full seven years after the original. Armitage III’s OVA animations were well done and any scene featuring action was handled well, though there are a few times that the character’s animations do appear strange or poorly drawn.
As for Poly-Matrix, the movie was given some newer, touched up animation which is quite impressive, though Armitage’s character design seems to have changed for the worse between movies. Unfortunately, Poly-matrix also contains a few pieces of CG which are absolutely terrible looking by today’s standards, bringing up an easy comparison that while animation can stand the test of time, poor CG cannot.
Audio: Armitage III has quite an interesting pedigree behind it’s voice acting talent, however when the English voice actors began working on the project, such as Kiefer Sutherland handling Sylibus and Elizabeth Berkley as Armitage, they were actually nobodies at the time. It is worth noting that between the release of the OVAs/Dual-Matrix and Poly-Matrix the voice actors for both Armitage and Sylibus underwent a change. Now while this may have been less noticeable for those who had to wait many years between each show, those who watch this Complete Saga will be able to notice the change easily.
That isn’t to say that these voice actors are bad by any means, as they still provide a memorable experience, though this abrupt change in voice actors, especially with Armitage herself, can be jarring at first. The series’ soundtrack tends to be similar to electro-jazz which works well with the anime’s cyberpunk theme.
Extras: Interestingly enough, Armitage III: The Complete Saga contains a few more bonus features than one would usually expect with the Anime Classics Line-up. First we have your standard inclusion of trailers for past and upcoming FUNimation releases. Second we have a bit of an odd decision, though perhaps a welcome one for fans of the show’s music… a music player which contains three songs: Armitage’s Theme, an Orchestral Theme and Red Planet.
Also included is a behind-the-scenes style video that is titled “Assembling Armitage.” In this video we are shown footage of both the Japanese crew as well as the English crew who worked on bringing the series over. It is worth noting that the interview is old, not refilmed for this release. While these bonus features are still rather barebones, they are decent inclusions though perhaps more could have been included.
Overall: Armitage III: The Complete Saga takes a series that many of us may have watched before we even knew what anime was and combines it into one simple release. Although it is disappointing that the inclusion of Dual-Matrix is simply a trimmed version of the OVAs with a few minor differences, the OVAs themselves and Poly-Matrix provide an enjoyable viewing experience that attempts to resolve the philosophical question about what truly defines life.
GREE announced a partial games line up that will be featured at their gamescom booth this year. After announcing dozens of games at E3, GREE is following up with more titles. A majority of the titles will be developed in house with a handful of third party games to round up the lineup. Titles include Wacky Motors, a GREE developed title that puts players in control of impressive weapons and a go kart to race their opponents for the checkered flag; two Moshi Monsters games, a title developed in partnership with Mind Candy, Astro Pizza, another GREE developed social game that allows players to run their own pizza parlour; and Metal Slug F2P, the classic SNK PLAYMORE franchise that is making the jump to the MMO-RTS genre. In addition to announcing new games, GREE will be recruiting potential employees at the conference in Cologne, Germany. Gamescom runs from August 15th to 19th.
Party Wave rode a killer wave onto the iTunes App Store today. Priced at $1.99 and developed by Mistwalker Corporation, Party Wave is an action surf game that will have players guide surfers away from dangerous areas and obstacles such as playful dolphins and sea turtles and into big waves to surf. Once on the waves, players will have to tap surfers to prevent a wipe out. Party Wave features beautiful and colourful cartoon style graphics that is reminiscent to Powerpuff Girls and similar children’s cartoons. Party Wave is designed for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch and is available on the iTunes App Store here.
Capcom had a lot to show at Comic Con this year due to Resident Evil 6, with 3 new demos being displayed featuring Jake, Leon, and Chris. Capcom have now posted Leon’s demo live in a slick viewable format, along with some commentary from Eiichiro Sasaki, Director of Resident Evil 6.
The commentary itself can be seen below, and pretty much sums up what went into making this part of the game, as well as a good bit of the story that we are watching unfold. Check out the clip as well below after giving these words a read, and stay tuned as there should be even more RE6 coverage to come as that October release date looms closer.
“This was actually one of the first three stages we created two and a half years ago, along with Chris’s arrival in Lanshiang at the start of his campaign, and a stage where Jake is chased by the Ustanak. This was at a time when we were trying out different things in terms of technology and direction.
With this stage we wanted players to experience the fear of walking through the darkness. Light and shadow play a very important part. The initial concept was a scene in a curved tunnel with a large crowd of zombies at the far end, lit so as to be visible only as silhouettes.
The lighting in this scene is mostly static, from environmental sources, but you will also notice that situational light effects such as muzzle flashes, passing trains and even Leon’s limited-range ear-light all produce momentary effects where zombies’ faces are lit up.
Another thing about this scene that’s quite interesting is something we call “scare lighting”. I’m sure you’ve all sat in the dark and shone a torch on your face from below for that scary effect. We wanted to reproduce this effect in the game, so there is light shining up on the zombies and making them look scarier. It’s not “realistic” in the sense that, unlike with Leon’s ear-light and other environmental lighting, there is no actual light source underneath the zombies in the tunnel location, but I think it produces a great cinematic effect that works well in the context of the scene.”
CM Punk fans that are planning on pre-ordering WWE 13 down under can prepare to give their cash to JB Hi-FI. Why, you may ask? Well, every customer that pre-orders the game will receive some wristbands that resemble those worn by the straight-edge superstar, as well as a code to unlock Mike Tyson and CM Punk’s WWE Ice Cream Bar shirt within the game.
Not a shabby bonus at all, and it’s great to see a physical incentive included in this package. WWE 13 boasts scheduled release date of November 1, 2012 in Australia and November 2, 2012 in New Zealand, so get those orders in to get these nice bonuses.
In the Hunter Center feature of Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, a poster for the recently revealedHunter x Hunter movie, Hunter x Hunter: The Scarlet Phantom, has made it’s way online.
The poster for Hunter x Hunter: The Scarlet Phantom can be seen to the right (click for larger version). The movie is said to focus on Kurapika, who is the only living member of the Kurta Clan after their massacre at the hands of the Phantom Troupe. The film is being written by Yoshihiro Togashi (the series creator) and is said to be canon.
The Scarlet Phantom poster features Kurapika with his scarlet eye focused on the tattoo of Troupe member #4, Hisoka (or previous #4 member). Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section.
Knights of the Round Cable Developer:Dancing Dots and Focus Home Interactive Publisher:Chillingo Platforms: iPad, iPhone (reviewed), iPod Touch Release Date: 12 July 2012 Price: $0.99 AUD (HERE)
Overview
Mobile publishing house Chillingo is still at it, and this time they’re back with Knights of the Round Cable. Now if you’re like me, you probably hear “Knights of the Round…” and immediately jump onto the nearest table, kick the air in joyful dance, and start singing this gem from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Unfortunately, the two are not directly related, though that didn’t stop me from humming the song maniacally as I booted up the game. To be fair, Knights of the Round Cable’s premise is just as ridiculous as something from a Monty Python film: knights ride giant flying chickens to various levels of gem-collecting, rope-swinging adventures. Is this quirky platformer worthy of knighthood, or should we cry, “Off with its head!”?
Gameplay
It is very hard to categorize Knights of the Round Cable into any already established genre. While calling it a two-dimensional platformer is probably the closest thing to the truth, doing so would be a great disservice to the creative and quirky mechanics behind the game.
As one of several knights, it’s up to you to visit a myriad of castle, collecting gems as you go, and making sure that you don’t suffer death from various environmental hazards (see: ghosts, dragons, nose-diving crows). To do so, your knight will swing on various pegs to spin himself about, gather momentum, and fly through the air. He’s also incredibly springy and can bounce off of hard surfaces. The swinging mechanic is simply controlled using a tap interface: tap the right side of the screen to latch on to a peg, and tap the left side to reverse direction. The simple controls and gameplay lend themselves well to the old adage, “easy to use, hard to master”.
At first, you’ll probably find it difficult to even collect a single batch of gems, much less go on a collection streak the game calls a “Fiesta!”. But keep at it and you’ll get a sense of the game’s physics, your knight’s momentum, and you’ll begin to rack up triple Fiestas like it’s nobody’s business. Though why knights from England are having Spanish parties never ceases to boggle my mind. To be fair, it’s the less surprising than the fact that when you complete a castle (see: level, not even remotely an interior location) and move on to the next one, you are transported there by a giant flying chicken.
But chickens can’t fly!!! And they’re not giant!!!
Well apparently they were in AD 960.
As you move through castles, collecting gems on the way, you’ll gain some good old in-game gold, which can be spent on upgrading your knight’s health and purchasing coin-magnets. You can, however, also spend it on new knights, who each have different abilities. Everything that could possibly aid your playstyle is featured, from rocket boosts to a buffer health bar. Alternatively, you could always buy in-game coin with real world money. Strangely, none of the knights, except for the final “King Arthurion”, bear names that even remotely resemble Knights of the Round Table. Which is odd, because it’s not like there’s copyright laws surrounding old folk tales…
Progress in Knights of the Round Cable is achieved through completing missions (see: a three-star challenge system) that increase in difficulty as you go, and while the upgrades shop ensures you never truly feel like you’ve wasted time if you don’t complete a mission, as time goes by, there’s less to buy and still more to do. As such, the game can start feeling a little tedious, if not quite repetitive. It’s almost like the game’s concept, while deep and entertaining at its core, just isn’t enough to keep you in for an extended period of time. However, its simplicity and fun make sure that you’ll be enthralled by it for quite a few hours at least, which is more that can be said for many $60 games.
Audio & Visual
Knights of the Round Cable’s graphical design and presentation are solid. Though they won’t knock the socks off of your portable device’s screen, the look of the game is far higher than the standard set by many of the sloppily put together two-dimensional titles on the platform. Some of the effects, leaves blowing in the wind were thoroughly good to look at, in particular do a good job of making you have little “ooo” moments. It won’t take your breath away, but the game certainly looks pretty.
The sound in the game is serviceable. You won’t be knocking on your friends’ doors, begging them to listen to the cartoony theme, but nor will you put the phone on silent and cross your lucky stars you never have to hear the blasted thing again. I like to think it enhances the enjoyment of the game, like a middle of the range Shiraz alongside a well-peppered steak. High-brow similes aside, the game’s presentation does its job efficiently and complements the gameplay well.
Overall
Knights of the Round Cable is one of the few iOS games that I’ve recently played that can claim it’s done something truly different. This isn’t a revolution, and the game’s core mechanic eventually runs out of steam, but it is a new step in an interesting direction, and I can’t wait to see how this franchise mounts its siege for future instalments (see: a good game you should buy, and yes, that was one last castle-related pun. Just to horrify you).
