2K Sports have announced that NBA 2K13 will be hitting shelves on October 5 in Australia and New Zealand, along with the pre-order bonus that customers can expect to receive if they pre-order the game at their local retailers.
The pre-order package for NBA 2K13 will include a NBA All-Star package presented by Sprite and will allow fans to stage their own NBA All-Star Game at Houston, including three All-Star events – the Foot Locker Three Point Shootout, BBVA Rising Stars Challenge and the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. The gameplay for this mode features the new intuitive, pick-up-and-play controls.
Vice President of marketing for 2K Sports, Jason Argent, had this to say about the pre-order pack:
“The NBA All-Star package is our way saying ‘thank you’ to fans for their ongoing love of the NBA 2K series. This content provides a ton of depth and value to our fans, and it’s just the beginning of a lot of big news about NBA® 2K13.”
NBA 2K13 will be available on October 5 for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PSP, Wii and PC with a Wii U version to be released at a later date. Head over to your local retailer and pre-order now to guarantee yourself a copy and get access to the exclusive pre-order package!
Recently announced by Ted price founder of Insomniac games is the return of our favourite nuts and bolts team of cosmic avengers Ratchet and Clank. This time they’re teaming up in Ratchet and Clank Qforce exclusive to the PS3! The good news keeps coming as the series is making a return to the camera, weapons and classic feel that made the series so popular.
New additions this year come in the form of online features which should provide new an interesting ways to interact and play the latest installment of the series. The 10th anniversary of Ratchet and Clank is quickly approaching and come this spring (Fall for the northern hemisphere) we’ll be scooping up the nuts and bolts and racking up the kills like only Ratchet and Clank can.
The Razer Blackshark is an amazing looking device and is branded with the Battlefield 3 logo for gamers who absolutely love their Battlefield experience. What makes this headset the most interesting though, is it’s design.
The Blackshark is designed to be very similar to an actual Attack helicopters headset, like from the military, so gamers who love their helicopters will absolutely get the full effect of being a pilot with these headphones. The headphones also promise to deliver an Aural delivery of maximum force, so that players can hear the rattle of a machine-gun and the intensity of an explosion right across their ears.
On the headphones RazerGuy had this to say –
“The Razer BlackShark is a PC gaming headset with crisp audio and booming bass that is built for a highly intense shooter like Battlefield 3,” said Robert ‘RazerGuy’ Krakoff, president of Razer USA. “It lets you hear the gunfire, the explosions and the thunderous roar of the jets, as if you were in the heat of the battle. Designed based on headsets sported by real attack helicopter pilots, no serious soldiers on the frontlines of Battlefield 3 should be without their Razer BlackShark.”
The headphones are quite impressive and feature some amazing features. These include a detachable microphone boom, ear-cup design, audio and mic splitter, ear cushions and 40nm magnet drivers to really push that sound.
Be sure to check out the Official Page for technical specs and pre-order details. The device should be available July 2012 and will retail for $129.99US.
EA have released a Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes update called The Pyramid of Settra. Pyramid of Settra involves a brand new scenario with a mysterious and ancient new character. It challenges all three teams to battle for Relics located throughout the new map. Relics will spawn in a central chamber and three adjacent anti-chambers, resulting in a super competitive battle arena.
Teams will need to collect the relics to deposit in their treasure rooms, protect the rooms from attacks from the other two teams, and have the most treasure at the end of the game.
The newest Hero to join Wrath of Heroes is Amenadresh the Steward, one of the few remaining Liche Priests who has control over incredibly powerful magic. Plus he looks like a total badass.
Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes is an online PvP game with a challenging and fast-paced arena gameplay and is available for free! It is now in open beta, and can be downloaded HERE. So grab yourselves a copy if you haven’t already, or if you have, then download the patch for it to get in on some Pyramid fun!
CD Projeckt, the developers behind the great ‘The Witcher 2’ have announced that they will be developing an RPG based on the hit pen and paper RPG Cyberpunk. The game was announced earlier today at a conference in Poland called Summer Conference.
On the game, the pen and paper games designer had this to say –
Original “Cyberpunk” game designer Mike Pondsmith was at hand for the conference in Warsaw, Poland. “For over two decades, I’ve been proud to say that Cyberpunk’s been the gold standard of what it means to be a true cyberpunk game. And it’s been a huge success for me and our many fans, with over 5 million players worldwide. But over all that time we haven’t found the right team to bring our cyberpunk world to full digital life — until now. CD Projekt Red is the team we’ve been hoping for. Their incredible work on The Witcher and The Witcher 2 shows that they share the same dedication and love of great games that we do at Talsorian. I’m especially stoked that they want our participation in making this game a fantastic project that will live up to everything Cyberpunk fans (old and new) have been waiting for. Trust me — this game is going to rock,” said “Maxmike” Pondsmith.
The team promises a rich universe with non-linear RPG gameplay with a class-based character system. Players can choose to be one of a few different class types, such as a mercenary or even a hacker and many others depending on their own gameplay preferences.
Be sure to right click the image at the top of the article and select ‘View image’ to see the fullsized artwork.
EA Games have just released a new trailer for their popular free to play game in the Battlefield franchise, Battlefield Play4Free. The new trailer shows off the Myanmar Map which is soon to be released for the game.
The Myanmar Map is heavily jungle based and pits the U.S. Forces against the Russian Forces in all out jungle warfare. The game itself is available to play for free right now on the official website of Battlefield Play4Freehere.
Be sure to check out the Battlefield Play4Free Myanmar trailer below. Will you be welcome in this jungle? Let us know what your thoughts in the comments section.
Natsume have revealed ahead of their appearance at the E3 Expo 2012 event that they are developing two new Medabots game for the Nintendo 3DS. Each game like previously instalments of the robot battling series will be two separate versions of the same game. The games will be titled Medabots 7: Kabuto Version and Medabots 7: Kuwagata Version.
Both games were unveiled by Natsume through Famitsu magazine and may be shown as part of Natsume’s E3 2012 line-up. This will be the Medabots franchise’s first outing on the 3DS and will feature an AR Trading Card Game released along-side it, with AR cards able to be scanned to unlock and battle Medabots.
Medabots 7: Kabuto Version and Kuwagata Version are slated for a Japanese release on the 17th of September, 2012. What do you think of these new Medabots games? Let us know in the comments section below.
Mario Tennis Open Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Camelot Platforms: Nintendo 3DS Release Date: May 24, 2012 Price: $39.99 – Available Here
Overview: Mario and friends have graced the Nintendo 3DS twice before (Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7) and do so once again with Mario Tennis Open. With this game it’s clear that Nintendo are looking at branching many of their big console franchises to the Nintendo 3DS. The Mario Tennis series has been a frequently solid outing for Mario and friends and it’s no different here. Nintendo are shaping the 3DS up to be the console that Nintendo fans need to own and Mario Tennis Open is just another feather in Nintendo’s cap for that. So how does the game weigh up with the other big hitters of the 3DS?
Gameplay: Mario Tennis Open is best compared to Mario Kart 7 in it’s approach. Nintendo took the foundations of the series and bent it to the structure of the 3DS. While that may mean some much loved features get given the boot it does make way for some new stuff to thrill fans. Although Mario Tennis Open does mark a significant change for the series there is no escaping the vibe of intense familiarity. This can be both a detriment and advantage for Mario Tennis Open.
It is an advantage because this familiarity allows players to be able to pick it up quite easily and play, but it also is a detriment due to the fact that one may grow tired quite quickly of the game. Thankfully I found it to be nothing but an advantage, the pick up and play type of gaming is perfectly tailored for Mario Tennis Open.
It’s not just hardcore gamers or series veterans who can pick this game up with ease, but also casual gamers will find the game an absolute breeze to get an understanding of thanks to a new play style implemented by Nintendo that many casual Wii gamers will find reminiscent of Wii Tennis. This style swap is easily what makes Mario Tennis Open one of Nintendo’s most player friendly game to date, anyone can play this. How it works is that there are two ways to play, either hold your 3DS upwards which will change your view and play style to that of a Wii Tennis-ish type of game play, not requiring players to move their character only to aim and hit the ball. On the flip side there is also the standard hardcore play style which is used by holding the 3DS flat. This style is simply the same as past games in the franchise with the whole top down view and full control of your character.
Other than that the game does generally play much like previous games, however it does take away the previously implemented ‘Power Shots’ (special ability shots unique to each character) and replaced it with a simple ‘Special Shots’ system in which circles appears on the court in which players can perform different ‘Special Shots’ out of. It does level the playing field a bit more and also makes sense when you consider the introduction of Miis to the series.
Much like Mario Kart 7 before it, Mario Tennis Open features Mii implementation which of course allows players to use their Mii avatar in the game. The most exciting part of using your Mii in the game is the deep customisation and skill system involved with them. Players can customise their Mii’s attire and skills which all have visible effect in the game (make your Mii faster or stronger etc.) and event take them online to compete against players across the globe.
The Multiplayer aspect of Mario Tennis Open is a bit of a mixed bag however, the online component still feels very early in it’s conception with a lack of variety in match types available to players. That is unless you play against your 3DS friends, which opens up a large amount of other options (unfortunately I could not play these for my review, because I have no friends). The open match option however which allows you to play against people across the globe, is really hit and miss. There is no balancing system, leaving players who are just starting out completely outmatched by players who have invested a lot more time in the game. It is a problem a lot of online games suffer, unfortunately Mario Tennis Open suffers this also. There is also an offline local multiplayer aspect which features the same amount of match types as ‘Friend vs Friend’ online matches, which is good to see. It’s a shame that the open matches online are such a mixed bag.
While the Multiplayer aspect is an odd hand, the Single player aspects are absolutely enthralling. The tournament mode, while lacking the visual pazazz and plot (sort of) of Mario Power Tennis, is still an incredibly enjoyable and rewarding experience. It’s one of the only cases in gaming in which you feel as though you are getting better as you play, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. Besides the tournament mode (which is the headline act as far as Single player goes in this game), there are some excellent other Single player options such as the straight up Exhibition match and the Special games (wacky mini games) which are all a joy to play.
All in all from top to bottom, Mario Tennis Open is about one thing – Fun. That’s a staple of Nintendo games and it’s something that this game wholeheartedly embodies.
Visuals and Audio:
Aesthetically Mario Tennis Open makes for some great eye candy, with it’s bright colours and iconic visual style of the Mario franchise, it does a great job at being as visually appealing as it is in it’s gameplay. The graphics are very crisp and the splashes of colour are nothing short of gleeful. It is just a very good looking game and one of the few games that looks just as good with the 3D filter on as it does with it off (something not many 3DS games can attest to).
Aurally the game features the expected Mario-esque tunes, very poppy, happy and energetic, never taking a break for some quiet. It’s got all the makings of a classic Mario soundtrack and succeeds with flying colours. It backs the visuals and gameplay perfectly and that is the best you can ask for from a game’s soundtrack at the end of the day.
Overall:
From start to finish, Mario Tennis Open is a game made with love (see what I did there?). It’s evident that the game was nurtured and cared for in it’s creation and was built with an emphasis on fun and there is a lot of it to be had here. The game is yet another solid entry in the Mario Tennis series and another reason that the Nintendo 3DS is the hand held console to own. Mario Tennis Open is straight up a must buy for all Nintendo 3DS owners and proves to be game set and match for Nintendo.
Huh… well I’m sure if more nuns dressed like that the attendance for church would be through the roof… Well anyways, it seems that at some point in Hitman Absolution Agent 47 is going to have to face off against this sultry group of assassins who are currently being called “The Saints.”
These assassins don’t seem to have any reason to want 47 dead at the moment, but don’t worry about it, watch the trailer below and catch a glimpse at some sexy leather-wearing nuns carrying fully automatic weapons and rocket launchers. Like what you see? I’m sure you’ll like it even more when Hitman Absolution hits store shelves on November 20th.
The director of Dead or Alive 5, Yohei Shimbori, tweeted that “Four-point holds work really well for game balance, but I was worried that beginners couldn’t pull off mid kick holds. But all of the feedback we got from players with the Alpha Demo gave me the final nudge to go with four-point.”
The Alpha Demo was a pre-order incentive packaged with the collector’s editions of Ninja Gaiden 3 and it used the 3-point system.
In DOA 3, a three-point system (high, mid and low) was implemented, but DOA 4 also used a four-point system (high, mid-punch, mid-kick and low).
Natsume have revealed ahead of their appearance at the E3 Expo 2012 event that they are developing two new Medabots game for the Nintendo 3DS. Each game like previously instalments of the robot battling series will be two separate versions of the same game. The games will be titled Medabots 7: Kabuto Version and Medabots 7: Kuwagata Version.
