Excited for the new Amazing Spider-Man film? Well how about checking out the earliest live-action Spider-Man film still in existence? I checked it out and my spidey sense started tingling, if you know what I mean.
So what the hell am I talking about? Well it’s an old school Spider-Man fan film from 1969, which was created, written and directed by future Spider-Man TV cartoon writer Don Glut (he even dons the blue and red suit himself).
You can check out this classic bit of fan-film history and what is also the first live-action Spider-Man film in existence beneath this article. Be sure to let us know what you think by web-slinging your thoughts into the comments section below.
If EA and Activision are the game industry equivalents of the loud, shallow, attention-seeking people at the party, then Valve is the cool one that sits in the background, not saying much, but has people hanging on their every word when they do speak.
In the last couple of days Valve has cleared their throat, ready to say something interesting no doubt, and people are already leaning in.
Team Fortress 2 is known for its humour, and the hilarious Meet the Team videos have introduced us to all the characters, except the Pyro, so far. That series is finally concluding this week, as the long-awaited Meet the Pyro shortdebuts on Wednesday afternoon in the USA, or very early Thursday morning in Australia.
To celebrate, there’s a big update being rolled out over the next few days, with the first announcement being a new map and game mode: Doomsday. It sounds like a slight variant on the modes already on offer, with teams fighting to “transport a suitcase nuke full of recalled Mann Co. Australium to American monkeynaut Poopy Joe’s rocket, so he can blast off and hunt down Soviet space chimp Vladimir Bananas.” Sounds like it’ll be just what the salivating fans are looking for.
There are still more details on the update to be revealed right up until Meet the Pyro launches, so keep an eye on the TF2 site.
But on to the most exciting news: Valve has teamed up with Adult Swim, that late-night block of Cartoon Network dedicated to a more mature audience, with shows like Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Metalocalypse and Robot Chicken. So far, there’s nothing more than a teaser page (above image) on the Adult Swim website, showing the Team Fortress 2 characters and telling visitors to return next week. I’m not entirely sure how long the page has been up, but I’m assuming it actually means next week – unless it’s been there since last week, so maybe it’ll be revealed when the Pyro video launches. Again, I’m not sure, so just visit regularly, so you don’t miss the announcement. That’s what I’ll be doing.
If the humour demonstrated in the TF2 Meet the Team videos – and the game itself – can be expanded into an animated series, it will be Godsent. Already, Adult Swim’s programming is much the same kind of comedy, so it should feel right at home on the network.
Of course, nothing’s been confirmed yet, so I might be jumping to conclusions here, but come on – a game studio known for its humourous videos, teaming up with an adult-oriented humour television network – what the hell else could it be?
I guess it might just be a short-term promotion or something. You know what, we’ll find out soon enough.
RayStorm Developer: Taito Corporation Publisher: Taito Corporation Platforms: iPhone (reviewed), iTouch, iPad Release Date: June 22, 2012 Price: $8.99 – Available Here
Overview
Arcade remakes are a popular app genre, given that they have that special mix of nostalgia and a simple enough gameplay style to translate well onto mobile gaming devices. RayStorm is a title that has been around since 1996 when it was an arcade release, so the question is how well has it transferred over and does it keep that same addictive, arcade style?
Gameplay
The game’s arcade style translates really well to the iPhone layout. There are two different types of gameplay, auto and manual. In auto the ship automatically fires for you, with the only thing you have to control being you moving around and using the special. In manual you control the shot, laser and special.
There are nine areas to play through, but you can pick which one to play, you don’t have to actually unlock any of them. This takes away from some of the incentive to play through them, plus there doesn’t really seem to be much of a difficulty difference between the levels, however it is fun enough to play through them, and the game certainly has that fun and intense arcade feel to it.
It doesn’t take a lot of time to play through the levels at all, especially since the game will be taking you through the level regardless of whether or not you kill all the enemies on the screen. You also have a health bar and a few lives you can go through quite easily, since your ship is replaced right away without pause. Even if you do die then you can just tap the screen and insert another ship in. The process is made as painless as possible, and the game is clearly just about you getting your awesome space ship firing action on, rather than tying you down with things such as going back to the menu screen, or even restarting the level.
There’s an arcade mode and an iPhone mode that you can play through. The arcade mode is a remake of the original classic, from all of the original cut scene videos and whatnot, while the iPhone mode is an updated version of the game with more enemies and updated graphics and sounds. To be honest, the difference between them isn’t something huge, and it was actually nicer to play the arcade version because it had more of a feeling of depth and history to it. Plus it will be of somewhat more enjoyment and nostalgia’s sake for those who actually did play the original.
Visuals
The game actually looks a lot cleaner than some arcade games get, that’s one of the reasons I sometimes avoid such games. Rather than having a constant source of explosions and colours bursting everywhere, like the typical arcade game, you can really tell in RayStorm where everything is and how to dodge and play through it with a lot more ease than you might experience in other arcade games. Yet it still retains that same intensity, because it certainly hasn’t got any less going for it, it’s just able to remain far more tidy and compact in a way that other games tend to go over board with.
The modernized graphics do look a bit better, but to be honest the arcade graphics don’t look bad at all and are just slightly more blocky in a way that you can’t notice unless you look for it.
Audio
The soundtrack for the arcade mode in the game is just as much of a typical arcade game as the rest of it. It’s loud, energetic, and just about as intense at it gets. I’m not a huge fan of listening to such intense music while playing a game, but it would surely help if you were the kind of person who needs music to get yourself going.
The updated soundtrack in iPhone mode is a bit more chilled, and sits in the background a bit better. Personally, I enjoyed this soundtrack a bit more because I appreciate soundtracks that can be a bit subtler and don’t continually jostle the player for attention, but again that’s a personal preference, and if you want the nostalgia then you will probably prefer the arcade mode. In saying that the iPhone music is different, it is still quite clearly derivative of the original soundtrack and can still be appreciated as such.
Overall
RayStorm has all of the charm of what you can expect from an arcade remake of a game, with the addictive nature, as well as the insane visuals that you can expect from a game like this. It must be noted that the game is fairly expensive, and isn’t really all that long, but if you are a fan of the past RayStorm games, or arcade games in general, then this is certainly a game that you should look at getting.
Following their killer announcements of REEL Anime and several film acquisitions at the Supanova Sydney 2012 event, Madman followed up with an equally impressive line-up of title acquisitions at Supanova Perth 2012 this past weekend.
During their panel they announced that they have acquired the license to distribute the following series:
Majikoi – Oh! Samurai Girls! – currently streaming in Madman Screening Room, release date to be determined.
Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt – to be released in October.
Is This a Zombie? – the first season will be released early 2013.
Infinite Stratos – to be released in November.
This is a great line-up of acquisitions and I for one immediately shouted ‘GOD MY OH!’ as my head exploded upon hearing they had licensed Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt (a favourite of mine). Be sure to let us know what you think of these announcements in the comments section below.
You are not reading the title wrong. The Resident Evil is heading into the restaurant business. Resident Evil Cafe & Grill S.T.A.R.S. will be opening July 13th 2012 in Shibuya, Japan. Capcom has yet to announce any menu items, but have stated there will be special items and S.T.A.R.S. dancers.
Unfortunately the restaurant will only be open for one year. It is worth noting that anything can happen and the restaurant could be around a lot longer depending on it’s success. It is also worth noting that Resident Evil is Capcom’s best selling franchise, beating both Street Fighter and Mega Man. What do you think about Capcom opening a Restaurant based on Resident Evil, and what other game franchises would you like to see get their own restaurant?
Sony has announced that Firmware update 4.20 for the PlayStation 3 will be going live on June 26th.
The update will include the following:
When the wireless stereo headset (CECHYA-0080) is connected, you can now adjust the sidetone level for microphone audio. Select [Sidetone] under (Settings) > (Accessory Settings) > [Audio Device Settings].
For those of you who use the Wireless Stereo Headset to watch Blu-ray or DVD movies on your PS3, this system software update will also enable virtual surround sound functionality, giving you a superior audio experience.
–Off: Disable microphone audio from the headset
–1-5: Enable microphone audio from the headset
– You can now set the amount of time until the system automatically turns off. Under (Settings) > (Power Save Settings) > [System Auto-Off] you will be able amend the time for [Video/TV/Music/Photo] and for [Game/Other Features]:
Video/TV/Music/Photo – After 1 Hour, After 2 Hours, After 3 Hours, After 4 Hours, After 5 Hours, Off
Game/Other Features – After 1 Hour, After 2 Hours, After 3 Hours, After 4 Hours, After 5 Hours, Off
–o If you enabled [System Auto-Off] in system software prior to version 4.20, the selected time will be set for both [Video/TV/Music/Photo] and [Game/Other Features].
–o The default settings are [After 4 Hours] for [Video/TV/Music/Photo] and [After 1 Hour] for [Game/Other Features].
– Under (Games) > (Saved Data Utility (PS3™), you can now select multiple saved data items, and then either delete or copy them as a group.
–You cannot use [Copy Multiple] to select data that is copy-protected.
–Some saved data cannot be copied.
–The upper right corner of the screen displays:
the number of saved data items that are selected
the total number of saved data items
the total file size of the saved data items that are selected
What do you think about the features that Firmware 4.20 will implement?
Game Insight is coming out with a new free-to-play MMO, but the most interesting part of the game is that it will be cross platform for Android, iOS, and web, so that players can utilize multiplayer with anyone on any of the platforms. Featuring hundreds of quests, enemies, and two factions to choose between either Vaalor or Sadar. The title doesn’t have dragon for no reason either as players can train dragon pets and mounts.
Other features include , multiple schools of magic, non-combat professions, PvP, rare items, clans, and an auction house. Monsters in the game range from the generic to elite or even epic level bosses, which should make the rare items pretty handy. As a free-to-play game there should be plenty of things for players to do throughout the world of Adan.
While there is no release date yet, the web version is currently in beta testing, with more than 1 million testers and those interested can check out their website HERE to register yourself, as well as the gallery of screenshots below.
Love hidden object games? Love deals? Then your week is about to start off with a great deal! Anuman Interactive is bundling up five of their most popular hidden object games together in two separate bundles for one low price.
The first pack is the Jules Verne pack. Available for iPhone , iPad, and Mac, the Jules Verne 2 in 1 pack contains 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – Captain Nemo – Extended Edition and Around the World in 80 Days – The Challenge – Extended Edition. The Mac version is $9.95 and found here. The iPhone/iPod Touch pack is available for $3.99 hereand the iPad HD pack is $5.99 here.
The second pack is the Thriller 3 in 1 pack. The pack contains Jack the Ripper – Letters from Hell – Extended Edition, Dr Jerkyll and Mr Hyde – Extended Edition, and Profiler – The Hopscotch Killer – Extended Edition. The Mac bundle will cost gamers $14.95 here, the iPhone/iPod Touch pack is $4.99 on the App Store, and the iPad version is $7.99 here.
The savings for these bundles are up to 50 percent off the price if bought separately.
BulkyPix’s newest game has been dated for Thursday July 5th, 2012. Developed by Pohlm Studio, Hasta La Muerte will let iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch owners play as the emissary of death in a survival platformer. The game takes great inspiration from Pac-Man, providing players with hours of “chase and be chased” gameplay as players accompany the souls of the death and deliver them from damnation. However, these souls can quickly turn on the players, forcing the player to flee for their very lives. The game boasts over 30 levels, friendly gameplay experience for all ages, Soulpets that will provide players with a variety of buffs, a variety of enemies, and Game Center support.
Hot on the heels of the very first Indie Gala Mobile closing, Indie Gala 6 has reached a public release. This pack of games follows the traditional pay what you want format in support of AbleGamers, a charity helping people with disabilities and veterans with war injuries play video games, and the Italian Red Cross which is currently in Emilia Romagna helping earthquake survivors rebuild their lives. All Indie Gala 6 buyers will receive Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty, and The Void. Those who pay more than the minimum will also receive Commandos 2: Men of Courage, Commandos 3: Destination Berlin, Ion Assault, Air Conflicts: Secret Wars, and Cargo: The Quest for Gravity. All these games are available as Steam keys.
