The fourth edition of the Hope Times, the in game newspaper of the town of Hope, South Dakoda, featured in the upcoming title Hitman: Absolution, is now available to read. The latest edition details another tragic death, one involving a mechanic working on a car before being crushed. However, it is not what it seems. It looks like Agent 47, the main character in the Hitman series, may have some involvement in the death. Accompanying this news bulletin in a new screenshot, which is above this article.
Hitman: Absolution will be released for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. A concrete release date has not been determined as of yet. However, with E3 around the corner, Square Enix may announce a date.
As reported by Andriasang earlier today, Japanese gaming publication, Famitsu, has shared the very first concept artwork for the recently announced Tales Of game, which is meant to be a departure from the series’ norm. The first concept art gives a little glimpse of how much of a departure this game is going to be.
The artwork shows off some of the locations and set-pieces that may be included in the final game. What is clear here that they’re going for a futuristic sci-fi setting with a post-modern twist, unlike the more medieval fantasy (occasionally steam-punk) themed setting of traditional Tales Of games. The artwork here shows off a bustling city with buildings, bridges, towers, and even public train transport.
This all looks very interesting, and it seems this upcoming Tales Of title will do for the series what Final Fantasy VII did for the Final Fantasy series. Stay tuned for more details as they emerge.
With the release of Resistance: Burning Skies for the Playstation Vita only a mere ten days away, Frank Simon, Senior Managing Producer at SCEA decided to come down to Australia and reveal a few social features of the first person shooter. The feature that Simon talks about is quite strange. He actually talks about how owners of the game can infect other Playstation Vitas with the Chimera virus. No, it will not turn you Vita into a Chimera, but it will help you with multiplayer. An infected Vita will give players a multiplayer bonus.
In addition to being infected, gamers can also spread the virus itself, infecting friends and complete strangers. This is achieved through the use of near, the location based app. With that said, it seems that spreading the virus will be more effective with Wi-Fi/3G models, but possible with the Wi-Fi only models as well. You can hear Simon talking about the new social feature in a video below. Resistance: burning Skies will be released across Australia and New Zealand on May 31. Capsule Computers will be reviewing the game, so check that out once it is done.
The Dictator opened in Australian cinemas last Wednesday and managed to beat out the Avengers for top spot, making an amazing $5.9 million in the first five days. The Dictator also managed to make 21% more than Sacha Baron Cohen’s other hit movie, Borat.
Everyone’s been raving about Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest movie, as it takes on the cinemas.
4 out of 5 stars. ‘…he’s concocted what I think is his most sophisticated film to date.’ Margaret Pomeranz, At the Movies
The Dictator is a comedy that explores the political tensions and dictatorship, and just how far a dictator will go to continue to lovingly oppress a country and save it from democracy. Sacha Baron Cohen shows off his comedic skill in spades and is well supported by Anna Faris, who plays the doe-eyed naïve woman to a tee.
The Dictator is out in cinemas NOW. Check out Capsule Computers review of The Dictator HERE and the trailer for the movie below!
Ubisoft have revealed today that their latest and most extreme downloadable title Mad Riders will be racing onto the Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace and the Playstation Network on the 30th of May.
Mad Riders is a racing title unlike any other with gameplay focusing largely on performing totally radical aerial tricks and discovering hidden shortcuts throughout the game’s 45 race tracks.
You can check out some screenshots of the title below, they are really radical! Mad Riders will be available for 800 Microsoft Points on the Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace and for $15.95 on the Playstation Network. Will you be riding mad with Mad Riders come May 30th? Let us know in the comments section below.
In Australia, you’re either an EB games Enthusiast (which is Gamestop if you’re from the US of A) or a Game Guru (Game being Gamestation for those hailing from European shores.) I personally am a Game Guru so it came as a shock to my system to discover that Game Miranda is one of, if not the final store in Australia to follow the other 200+ stores internationally that are winding down due to Game UK and Game Australia going into administration.
Competition is the cornerstone of quality, if you have no one to push you to better yourself then you grow complacent. EB games is now a big fish in a little pond with mild competition coming from ensemble stores like: Big W, Harvey Norman, David Jones, Myer, Dick Smith and JB HI-FI it seems like the Gamestop Juggernaut has clobbered the European Colossus.
All is not lost though as Game UK may yet have a buyer with a likely purchase being made by the Royal Bank of Scotland and Game Australia has already stated that :
“As far as I know GAME is still looking for a buyer, and there is a few parties interested, so if someone buys, then I think some, if not all stores will stay open for trade. I have also been told that we will refunding pre-orders and still accepting gift cards as normal.”
Looking to the future of retail gaming stores in Australia we as gamers can only hope that a buyer does drop a coin in the proverbial slot so that Game can hit continue and provide the much needed competition to keep our software stores at their best providing us with great games, midnight releases and great offers that give us a reason to go to that outside place with the bright burny light and that reality thinger people keeping telling me about.
Ben 10: Destroy all Aliens Developer: Cartoon Network Publisher: Cartoon Network Price:FREE – Play Game Online Here
Overview
Ben 10: Destroy all Aliens is a movie based on the popular cartoon series. It was released in March of this year. However, Cartoon Network’s website also hosts a game that ties into the movie. The name of the game is: Ben 10 Ultimate Alien – Galactic Challenge. The backstory to Destroy all Aliens is this:
“Ten-year-old Ben Tennyson is finally back from his summer vacation… and his life is mess! Humiliated by his teacher, harassed by bullies, grounded by his parents, upstaged by his cousin, and cursed with a malfunctioning Omnitrix that’s vaporizing his homework, Ben finally gets the opportunity to “get away from it all” when his alien buddy TETRAX offers him the chance of a lifetime: to step up his Omnitrix hero training with a “total alien emersion program” on the far side of the galaxy. But what Ben comes to realize is that “total alien immersion” means he can’t turn human again! Crashing back to Earth and stuck in his alien forms, Ben soon encounters a deadly Mechamorph– just like Ben’s Upgrade alien, but armed with explosive high-tech armor and a single-minded goal to DESTROY ALL ALIENS! As Grandpa Max, Gwen and Tetrax race to track him down, Ben’s battle with the Mechamorph takes them to the Omniverse– a strange world that exists within the Omnitrix itself – and a deadly battle with an evil version of Ben’s most powerful alien of all: the hundred-foot-tall Way Big! But little does Ben know that neither the Mechamorph nor the Evil Way Big are exactly what they seem!” (CartoonNetwork.com)
The game doesn’t really explain the story, except in the the text box below the game itself. All in all, the game doesn’t really explain anything about what is going on, so it is helpful to either read the text above that was copied from Cartoon Network’s site, or to already have a deep knowledge of the universe by watching the movie and TV show. Since the game itself doesn’t have a story attached to it, I will start this review with the gameplay section.
Gameplay
When the game loads, you are asked to choose what alien you wish to play as. At first, you can only pick one: an alien that shoots fireballs. However, after you finish this level, you can then choose to either replay the level with the same character, or you can choose a new character that has been unlocked. In all, there are about 10 aliens to be unlocked and each alien has their own unique level. These levels are all played on the Easy difficulty. Most of them require that you merely collect all the Orbs in the area, or that you attack each enemy. However, each alien also has a Hard level. The hard levels usually have two objectives, like killing the enemies and collecting all the Orbs. Getting shot by an enemy, falling in a pit, or just touching one of the bad guys will instantly reset progress in each aliens respective level and you’ll have to restart. However, each level is really short, and it usually only takes about 5-10 minutes to beat each level. Hence, in total, the entire game can be beat in about 2 hours, and there is no real reason to go back and play it again.
Nevertheless, some of the aliens do have really cool powers and each one of them is fun to master. One of them can hover, which is really neat, while a different alien can shoot energy out his hands. However, the energy is shot out in an arching pattern, meaning that you have to use some trial and error trigonometry to effectively use his power. It was great figuring out how to master each alien and using their different powers. However, since you can only use their powers for about 20 minutes while your beating the 2 levels that each one has, its over disappointingly fast.
Cartoon Network also included a variety of badges, or achievements, that you can unlock while your playing the game. If you sign up for the site, you’ll be able to save them. There are maybe 10-20 badges that you can earn. Other games on the site also have badges. So, if you play a plethora of games on CartoonNetwork.com, its probably worth it to sign up so that you can display your prowess in all your games. If you don’t sign up, then you don’t earn any badges. In addition, joining the site also gives you the ability to save your games.
One interesting idea that Cartoon Network had is that you can build your own levels. The website guides you through 6 stages of picking your background scene, choosing a character, building a level, testing it out, etc. You must be able to beat the level yourself before you can submit it to Cartoon Network. Once its submitted, you can share the level with the entire world. This adds some re-playability to the game, but the toolset in the Creator is incredibly limited and basic. In addition, just finding the game creator was a nightmare. In the main game, it mentions that you can create your own levels, but it doesn’t link off to anywhere. I literally had to hunt this Creation mode down through a variety of website portals before I found it.
Audio and Visuals
The audio in Destroy all Aliens is not enjoyable. While each alien does have their own musical theme to go along with their level, it is all based on the same generic cartoony music. It contrasts with the alien motif and it made my ears ring in agony. The sound effects are also incredibly dull.
I was surprised that the visuals in this game were as good they were. Each level has a detailed scene behind it and all the enemies, aliens and other pieces of the game were nice to look at. This isn’t an AAA title or anything, but for a simple Flash game, the fine graphics were a treat to behold.
Overall
In conclusion, this game was built was for the hardcore fans of the series, mostly kids in the 6-12 age range. Undoubtedly, they will enjoy playing as their favorite alien from the movie and they will love smashing the enemies out of existence. If they play the other Ben 10 games on the website, that will make the experience even more cohesive. Even people not into the Ben 10 universe might enjoy spending their lunch break playing the game. All in all, this is a free game that will surely delight fans of the series and draw them even further into the Ben 10 mythos. But, its a good thing this game is free as there is no way anyone should spend any money on it.
Most press releases we read are straight-forward, robotically delivering information about a game. But I came across one today that had a hint of self-pity to it.
Smudged Cat Games released The Adventures of Shuggy, a frankly fantastic puzzle-platformer last year, and it seems not many people discovered this gem.
“The Adventures of Shuggy was released on XBLA in June of last year to be largely ignored by everyone, but now we’re trying again,… on Steam,” the press release laments. “Yes, that’s right, despite being an excellent slice of retro-styled 2D puzzle-platforming goodness with a cracking variety of different mechanics and ingenious puzzles hardly anyone bought the game.”
I know, I may have violated Rule #1 of Games Journalism: Don’t just regurgitate press releases. But sadness isn’t something you usually come across in them, and the developers’ disappointment is understandable: The Adventures of Shuggy is really a great game, as I said in my review last June.
Anyway, now it’s coming to PC, via Steam. Check it out on June 13th. Or, if you have an Xbox, go get it now.
Battleship has recently hit theaters in the U.S., and those with the love of slots and the ship-sinking smash are in luck as PopCap recently added Battleship Jackpot Command to their popular Facebook title, Lucky Gem Casino. Along with some progressive jackpots, this slot game lets players recruit their friends to destroy ships to gain some serious coinage.
Here is a run down on all of the features included with this recent update:
Match Battleship boat symbols to create an Aircraft carrier, Battleship, Submarine and a Destroyer for extra coins
Create all wild columns – watch out for mines and depth charges that show up in a reel
Recruit your Facebook friends as gunners – the number of shots that friends have is revealed this repeats until players run out of gunner friends. And, at the end of the bonus game, you can gift extra coins to favourite Facebook allies
And any time players sink a ship, during the Bonus Game, they get HUGE reward feedback, earn the progressive jackpot and their success is broadcast to all other players
Yes, it’s not a bad addition at all. Of course the game is free to play and uses Facebook credits to get more out of the experience, much like all of the other fare for Lucky Gem Casino. If you haven’t yet added Lucky Gem to your Facebook game stash, you can do so now and get in Battleship Jackpot Command now by following this link.
Squids Developer: The Game Bakers Publisher: The Game Bakers Platforms: PC (reviewed), Mac , iOS, Android Release Date: May 16, 2012 Price: $6.99 – Available Here
Overview:
Moving a game from iOS to PC can be a very difficult thing to do. On one side it can be as easy as porting the same thing, though micro-transactions may prove different or useless for PC. On the other you update the game and add to it, so that there is indeed more to provide for a possible higher cost. So, how did Squids handle the transition? Read on to find out.
Story: Squids PC keeps on the straight and narrow in terms of story. The game features the same story that fans for the iOS version enjoyed, as well as the bonus content that didn’t release until later for iOS. So, the game isn’t really designed for iOSers, but those of us without app phones that enjoy casual gaming on PC. The story is pretty amazing though with an adequate amount of character detail, though for 21 missions it did seem kind of lacking as some of the missions don’t relate to the plot at all.
For those not clued, in the basic story is that a set of squids go looking for treasure amongst the ruins of old temples and witness the release of a black ooze that has taken over whatever sea life it has gotten its drippy goo on. So the adventurers must now fight the possessed to escape and try to bring the guard to quell the infestation. Only problem is, that’s easier said then done, so the heroes are now in the middle of solving the problem themselves. Though this doesn’t keep them from finding enough down time during travel for a few side-like missions.
The side-like missions do develop some of the characters a bit more, but for the most part they seem to kind of to pad out the story instead of adding to it. The main missions are pretty well put together, though some have gameplay issues that will be explained further later. As it is an RPG though, people shouldn’t be surprised that the story is limited to being advanced only in opening cutscenes of missions, which works out as the there really isn’t room in the levels themselves for it. The story does take some interesting turns and is very compelling for something that started as an iOS game.
Visuals:
Needless to say computer monitors are generally bigger than iOS devices, so that is where the bigger differences are. The game has been updated to better fill and fit the varying screen sizes that can go along with PCs. The visuals of the game look great as big as they are and not pixelated, so it doesn’t ruin Squids’ visual style. Speaking of the style, is the game ever cute, all the characters are built perfectly to the squidly motif by being very rounded and hardly any sharp edges, making the main characters look very friendly and huggable.
Throughout the story, many of the same scenes see the characters returning, but a solid effort is put into making the still new and different. Sometimes it is as simple as rearranging the sea urchins and bubble-accelerators, but in later levels the decorum is completely redone in terms of look, with black ooze covering almost every square inch of the floor and walls, plus designs inside those to ensure it’s still visually as stimulating as when it was pre-oozed.
Bonus levels try to have fun with the visual style as the first two take place feature a Halloween fun house style. The second even using 3D for the red/blue style glasses. Making a quirky extra fun additional few things to do after the actual story finishes.
Audio:
The audio is as simple as music and sound effects, but the music is definitely something to listen too. As it should be seeing as the soundtrack was made available to those interested. It’s hard not to like the music as it does a great job of being light and fun, without feeling out of place in a semi-dark story. The sound effects are pretty simplistic, but do a good job of fitting in as well. For the most part though, the music is where it’s at for the audio.
Gameplay: Squids plays as a turn-based flinger. The characters are thrown about the screen by the player at varying strengths to determine direction, distance, and damage when they hit something, which could be dealt to an enemy or the squid depending. How much they can be flung is all in the stamina, denoted as bubbles surrounding the current character. Order is determined by the line-up at the base, so there is no need to account for things like speed. It goes position 1 though 4 then the enemies, every time. This allows for a simpler turn based experience as the game certainly feels appropriate for younger audiences.
Flinging to move and defeat enemies doesn’t sum the game fully as there are items that modify the gameplay from in-level gained ones that can allow a refill of bubbles, a defensive shell once the squid is finished moving, or ink that lets squids avoid a hit come the enemies turn. Other items are either purchased for pearls or awarded after a level, which can make the level easier be choosing when a squid gets a bubble refill or halving the enemies’ hit points. Fairly simple, but also intuitive.
A small issue with gameplay comes with flinging close to the edge of the screen. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t let players pull past what is available on the current screen, so going for a longer shot requires adjusting the screen accordingly. It might have been nicer to account of off screen pull-back with the mouse, or to adjust the screen to make room for the mouse as it is pulled back. Though certainly able to be worked around.
The RPG side comes from the pearls and hats for the characters. Pearls are the currency, so they allow squids to be leveled up or purchase new hats that can increase the squids’ stats. Unlike the iOS version players can’t just micro-transaction themselves more, though it isn’t that hard to have enough to level up the character provided players can keep three starring the levels. Leveling up a scout though can make the game a bit to easy, on any level where the end is available from the start. The scouts can generally move past enemies quickly enough to avoid a fight and get to the exit of the longer levels in a few turns.
Overall:
Ultimately this is a good game, though the issue of cost comes into play. The PC version is 7 times more expensive than the iOS version, which makes it a little harder to recommend. Its hard to know in terms of gameplay having not played the iOS personally, so it might come down to the pearls. Pearls seem pretty easy to get in the PC version, if harder to get in the iOS, the higher cost may come done to paying more to not have to deal with micro-transactions. It is a good game with a solid story though, so I give it
The Dictator opened in Australian cinemas last Wednesday and managed to beat out the Avengers for top spot, making an amazing $5.9 million in the first five days. The Dictator also managed to make 21% more than Sacha Baron Cohen’s other hit movie, Borat.
