So… you asked for Vita games and guess what? Sony has some Vita games for you, albeit ones that you may or may not actually want to play. Today Sony and developer Grip Games announced that Vita gamers can soon take the joys of Foosball with them wherever they go because Foosball 2012 will be released on the PSN next week.
Are you unsure of what Foosball is? Then perhaps you should head out to your local sports bar or check out the trailer below to see what the title has to offer. Gamers can pick up the title for $7.99 on the Vita as well as the PlayStation 3, the PS3 version will allow for the use of the Move controller. Neat?
If you are still playing Uncharted 3’s multiplayer mode then we have some good news for you, Naughty Dog has announced the details for their upcoming Uncharted 3 patch which is currently set to go live sometime “around August 14th.”
With this patch come a number of fixes and tweaks to the formula and more. Besides these fixes Naughty Dog has teased that gamers may be able to expect more DLC for the title in the future. The full list of patch fixes can be found below:
Increased recoil has been added to the G-MAL
Deathmatch will now appear in round 5 instead of round 3 in Team Objective game modes
Quitting out of Co-op will no longer count as a Competitive loss when signing-out/disconnecting
Lab games no longer count towards the Leaderboard
Death from Above medal now requires the player to be at least 2 meters off the ground
Players can earn more than 1 “Here, Hold This Medal” in a match
A collection of trophies have been added for each DLC pack available
The TAU Sniper Pistol has been tuned so the rate of fire is up 30% and its starting ammo is now 8 not 12
The M9 blindfire accuracy has been reduced by 10% efficiency
Cloaked level 3 is now immune to the effects of Disruption (it wasn’t working properly so we fixed it)
Although full music games may be on the decline, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still titles of that genre being released. In fact, we just saw the release of a Final Fantasy rhythm game just a few weeks ago and now Harmonix has announced when fans of the genre can download Rock Bland Blitz.
The title has been announced for release on the PSN on August 27th where it will cost $14.99 while the XBLA version shall be released on the 28th for 1200 MSP. To go along with this announcement four new songs for the title were released “So Far Away” from Avenged Sevenfold, Fun’s “We Are Young” and My Chemical Romance’s “Sing” and “Jungle Boogie” by Kool & The Gang.
Groupees have launched their latest gaming bundle with Build a Bundle 2. Like the previous BaB, gamers are able to choose three to twelve great indie titles and build their own indie bundle. The more games added to their bundle, the higher the minimum price they will be required to pay for the game.
Games Available
Will Fight for Food – PC + Linux (Desura Key)
Dino D-Day – PC (Steam Key)
Dead Horde – PC (Steam Key)
Iron Grip: Warlord – PC (Steam Key)
Hammerfight – PC (Steam Key)
Alien Breed: Impact – PC (Steam Key)
DogFighter – PC (Steam Key)
Syberia II – PC (Steam Key)
A Stroke of Fate: Operation Valkyrie – PC (Steam Key)
Depth Hunter – PC (Desura Key) Mac and Linux in Developement
Postal – PC, Mac, and Linux (Desura Key)
Tiny Bang Story – PC and Mac (Steam Key and DRM Free)
Indie Gala has brought back Indie Gala Mobile for a second sale. Indie Gala Mobile 2 features nine games. Six games are available for Android and four of the games are available for PC. Pay what you want and receive The Lost Souls, a horror puzzler available for Android; Battle Group, a missile command style game for Android; and Ichi, a one button puzzle game available for Desura and Android. Pay more than the average price and receive the arcade shooter Xelorians – Space Shooter, strategy RPG Call of Cthulhu: Wasted Land, and strategy game Little Stars for Little Wars 2. Also included for those who pay more than the average are the platformer Tiny Plumbers, puzzler Spin Deluxe, and platformer Cute Things Dying Violently, all available for the PC. Indie Gala Mobile 2 is in support of AbleGamers and the Italian Red Cross.
GAMEVIL’s latest game was released for Android today. Toy Shot is a physics puzzler developed by Appnori. Players will take on the role of the brave knight equipped with crossbows, bombs, missiles and other weapons, fighting against hordes of Undead Warriors to save the princess. The game features over 100 levels of puzzle actions featuring beloved childhood toys that are sure to make anyone feel nostalgic and realistic physics that supports tilting the device to make precise attacks. There are multiple types of levels including six boss fights and defence challenges. Toy Shot is available for free on the Google Play store here.
Back in May, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Hiroshi Kawano told Famitsu that the second Playstation Vita Game Heaven broadcast would be happening in June 2012. The month of June has now passed and there has been no Vita Game Heaven. So, where is it? In the latest issue of Famitsu, Kawano does address the next Vita Game Heaven. He hasn’t given a specific date yet. However, he doesn’t want the gap to be too big. The first Game Heaven was done in March, some four months ago.
He turns his attention to the Tokyo Game Show in September. He has revealed that the focus of SCE will be the Vita. This is excellent news to hear as the Vita is in need of a push in Japan. There are positive signs as the Vita is now constantly topping the PSP in recent weeks and, if the Vita gets the right games (Persona 4: The Golden), then it can boost sales. This will be a lesson learnt from SCE America after their lack of focus on the Vita.
It looks like Square Enix is making the Playstation Portable port of Final Fantasy III import friendly. In a posting by Tales Source (and translated by Andriasang), the publisher is set to reveal English text support in the next Famitsu issue. In order to use the English text, the PSP’s language must be set to English, which should be no problem for anyone outside of Japan with their primary language being English.
This is excellent news seeing that the PSP market is now dead. There have been question marks on whether Square Enix will publish the port outside of Japan, as it has with Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy II and Final Fantasy IV PSP games. The only obstacle would be the cost, but PSP games are usually cheaper due to being an handheld device. However, if you want to import it, then the PSP game will be released on September 20.
UPDATE: The first screenshot of Final Fantasy III with English has been released, confirming that Final Fantasy III will indeed have English as a language option. You can see it below.
Time Travelers made its debut on both the Playstation Vita and Nintendo 3DS this week. The Level-5 story driven game didn’t make a big splash on the Japanese scene. Both versions sold a combined 19,648 units, which isn’t great news. This is the second time that a new IP that Level-5 have created that hasn’t sold numbers it should have, following the PS3 debut of Ni No Kuni. With that said, the two versions did enough to earn a place in the Media Create Top 10.
What should be noted is the separate figures themselves. While it was initially revealed as a 3DS exclusive and the 3DS featured in the commercials leading up to release, the Vita version has edged out the 3DS by the slightest of margins. The Vita version sold 9,887 units while the 3DS version sold 9,761. They were both shy of the 10,000 mark. However, these figures do not take account of the PSP version, which will see a release next week. On the other hand, there is a possibility that these figures may hurt any localisation possibilities for Time Travelers, if there were any in the first place.
The Ratchet & Clank Trilogy/Ratchet & Clank Collection Developers: Insomniac Games, Idol Minds Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Platform: Playstation 3 Release Date: 28/06/2012 (AUS), 28/08/2012 (US) Price: US$29.96/AU$49.95 (Available Here)
Overview
Ratchet and Clank debuted on the Playstation 2 all the way back in 2002. Now, ten years later and after a highly successful franchise behind them, they have returned, with their first three adventures available in HD, all on one disk. Ratchet and Clank is a series that was missed during my days of the Playstation 2, so this is the first time I have undertaken this experience. Insomniac Games should be well applauded for their effort, as the successfully combine 3D platforming and third person action in one defining package. Or have they?
Story
While Ratchet & Clank is a trilogy, each game features their own separate story. While most of you will already know what the stories are, some may not, so here is a recap of each of them. In Ratchet & Clank, Ratchet is in the middle of fixing his ship when another crashes on his homeworld of Veldin. Ratchet finds in the wreckage a small robot. He names him Clank. Clank proceeds to show an infobot to Ratchet. It contains a recording of Chairman Drek of the Blarg race revealing that, due to overpopulation and pollution on his race’s homeworld, they will take bits of other worlds to create a new one. It is up to Ratchet and Clank to save those worlds from Chairman Drek’s hands.
In Ratchet and Clank 2, both Ratchet and Clank are now celebrities for saving the universe. However, as time passes over their victory, the universe begins to become peaceful again, which doesn’t excite the duo. During a taping of Behind the Hero, the duo are transported to the Bogon Galaxy. This is where they meet Abercrombie Fizzwidget, the founder and CEO of Megacorp. He reveals that an Experiment was stolen by a thief. He asks Ratchet to find the thief and retrieve the Experience. After a wild goose chase over the galaxy, he succeeds, but not all is what it seems.
Ratchet and Clank 3 brings the duo into a galactic war. After discovering that Ratchet’s homeworld Veldin is under attack, the duo help out in defending the planet. The enemy turns out to be Dr. Nefarious robotic entity that wants to destroy all organic life forms, so Ratchet is in the firing line. His commands an army of Tyhrranoids, who attack various points in the galaxy. After defending Veldin, Ratchet and Clank learn that there is someone who defeated Dr. Nefarious before. That turns out to be Captain Quark, who tried to hinder the two in previous games. With his help, the duo must defeat Dr. Nefarious before he becomes too powerful.
All three stories have the same basic structure. Ratchet and Clank are the heroes and they must stop the bad guy. The second game does change it a bit with a small twist and three introduces Quark as a good guy rather than the bad guy the duo are accustomed to. With that said, the stories are in face quite good and enjoyable. Sometimes the best thing is to keep the story simple. It is fantastic and gives motivation for what the duo undertake. The characters are also fleshed out, given believable personalities that suit each character.
Gameplay
There is one core gameplay mechanic that has defined Ratchet & Clank. That has to be the combination of 3D platforming and action, more specifically, shooter action. From the humble beginnings to the third adventure, it is nice to see how this core mechanic had evolved. To be honest, there was nothing wrong with the platforming action in fact. It is and always will be fun. Of course, there will be frustrating moments, like when one might not make it over a gap, but it isn’t because of controls or the camera. Most of the time, any fault that happens in the game is because of the player, which is what a game is suppose to do. Clank is useful here, as he allows Ratchet to jump higher or further with his Heli-Pack upgrade. In the other two games, this is upgrade to include boosters found on aircraft.
Of course, the platforming isn’t the only core mechanic found in Ratchet & Clank. Combat is more action-oriented, which complements the platforming style of Ratchet & Clank. Players will have a choice of weapons as they progress through each game. Using those weapons, players can blast their enemies out of existence. For those who prefer close combat that ranged, then Ratchet is equipped with the “Omniwrench 8000”. With that said, just going close combat is a disadvantage. The ranged weapons are not just there, they are a necessity.
The amount of ranged weapons in each game is numerous. These range from normal blasters to gravity bombs that can contain acid. Lasers, shotguns and even mini-robots all feature as weapons in the game. From Ratchet and Clank 2, the weapons would grow in power with constant use. A small bar would be present underneath the ammo count. As that bar fills completely, the weapon in question will be upgraded. Ratchet and Clank 2 only featured one upgrade, while the third used multiple levels, with features such as locking onto the enemy given to the weapons.
Of course, weapons don’t come cheap, so that is where bolts come in. Bolts are the universal currency of the universe. Players can use bolts to obtain weapons and gadgets from vendors scattered across the worlds. The Gadgetron vendors are the most common and will sell the weapons, bar a few. For the other useful gadgets, there will be inventors and salesmen scattered throughout the planets. They will offer useful gadgets for a price. They are not set too unrealistic, though, so it is easy for the player to obtain them. The bolts in question are usually found in crates or as reward for killing the enemy. Ammo is also found in crates, so the player can save all those bolts when they need it the most. Health, in the form on nanotech, is also found in crates, but they are not as numerous as bolt and ammo crates.
Ratchet isn’t the only playable character in the game. In some sections of the game, players will get the chance to control Clank. Clank doesn’t have access to weapons or doesn’t have the platforming abilities of his bigger partner. It doesn’t mean he isn’t useful. To compensate, Clank is given control of Gadgebots. The Gadgetbots will follow, wait, attack an enemy or enter a station to open doors. In the other games, certain Gadgebots will be more specific to other tasks, such as building a bridge. This is a fantastic compensation for Clank and it gives him a controlling role, as he is support to Ratchet during the gameplay sections. What is also great is that Clank’s sections are beneficial to the game. He will stumble on gadgets or useful information.
Outside of the main game, each Ratchet and Clank game offer mini-games for the player to enjoy. They are usually found while exploring the different planets. Some of these mini-games are required for the story. One of the most common is hoverboard racing. It is required for some missions to complete, but the other races are great if you need the extra bolts. All of the mini-games act like this. Yet, they are quite fun. The rewards for winning these games do not cheat the player. The amount of bolts given is quite healthy, helping players to their goal, which would be that new shiny weapon or gadget. Even Ratchet and Clank 3’s multiplayer is functional over the Playstation Network.
Visuals & Audio
All three Ratchet and Clank games all benefit the upgrade to HD visuals. Environments are more vibrant than their PS2 counterparts. Each character model looks much better. They are sharp, vibrant and well-designed. Animations are smooth and there is no noticeable drop in frame rate. Even the first game, the oldest of the three, benefits the upgrade. The same can’t be said for cutscenes, as they look like they have been pulled out of the PS2 games. The art style of the game offers the developers a fantastic way to bring the graphics up a notch. It is par to that of one of the most recent Ratchet and Clank games: All 4 One. The soundtrack is awesome as well as the sound effects. Voice acting is good as well. The audio were untouched.
Overall
There is no way any Ratchet and Clank fan will miss this out. In fact, if you have never played these fantastic games, then it is time to purchase this HD collection. The charm of the characters, the stories, the audio and the gameplay have been left as it should, offering both excellent platforming and shooting experiences. The visual upgrade is down to how the art style complements it, with environments telling their own story. Add in what Sony Computer Entertainment usually add in these HD collections (Trophies, 3D) and this is one HD collection that is worth every bolt in the known (and unknown) galaxy.
